good morning. breaking news. olympian hero oscar pistorius charged with murdering his girlfriend in his home overnight. the first double amputee to run in the olympics in a south africa courtroom right now. we're there live and we will have an exclusive interview with the woman who knew the couple. coming ashore, the crippled triumph, hours from docking in alabama, this morning, a passenger who was on that ship talks about the deplorable conditions they faced for the last five days. face to face with a killer. the couple who was tied up and held captive with christopher dorner as his reign of terror came to an end, thursday

february 14, 2013. from nbc news, this is "today," with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning. welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm matt lauer. this news coming out of south africa is hard to believe. we've been shaking our heads the last hour or so. oscar pistorius, one of the bright e brightest from the london games and inspiration to all. he was been charged with murder. >> they found 30-year-old model reeva steenkemp suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and oscar pistorius was taken into custody. >> we have a reporter in

pretoria. good morning to you. what can you tell us? >> hello. rohit, can you hear me? apparently he is having trouble hearing us. he was taken into custody and in court and taken for medical examination. according to the police in pretoria, we learned there had perhaps other incidents of violence at that home and called for domestic violence. i want to bring in our nbc sports analyst. first of all, your initial reaction to this? >> utter and absolute shock. anybody who's ever met oscar pistorius just simply cannot wrap their heads around what this could possibly be. >> this sounds very dramatic, a charge of murder. it is possible this could have been an accidental shooting. what do you know about the relationship between these two? >> i don't know much about the relationship.

one of the reports we're getting out of south africa now is they have gone to his house on multiple occasions for sort of arguments between these two, so i think that that sort of points in a different direction. >> you talk about the kind of guy oscar pistorius is. we had the chance to talk to him several occasions in london. he seems like a gentle soul. do you know anything about what his life has been like post olympics, what his emotional adjustment has been like after the olympic games? >> i can tell you the last time i talked to him maybe two or three months ago, he explained what happened to him in london, the success he had in london both in the summer olympics as well as the paralympics were beyond his wildest expectations and he was literally having the time of his life right now, literally going through the best months of his life. >> otto, we want you to stand by. we have rahit back with us from pretoria. rahit, what can you tell us?

>> reporter: good morning. details are still emerging but what we know is fairly horrifying for millions of south africans. we believe oscar pistorius was arrested here at his luxury home in the early hours of the morning on south african time. south african dictates authorities don't say a great deal. what they have said is they rested a 26-year-old man and charged him with a shooting incident. it's been widely reported mr. mipistorius fired at his girlfriend as many as four times. initial speculation is this may have been a valentine's surprise that went wrong and officials that have spoken with him in the last hour say they weren't familiar with the events. as for mr. pistorius, he's due to appear in a pretoria court in

the next one or two hours where the charges will be laid out against him. officials have indicated authorities would resist any attempt to apply for bail by mr. pistorius' lawyers and people in south africa are stunned by this news. this is a country that has no shortage of national icons and he is certainly one of them through his humility he's displayed and his sportsmanship, matt. >> rohit, thanks very much and our thanks to otto boldin as well. another story we're following, the nightmare cruise for passengers on the stricken gulf of mexico. almost at an end now. janet is where the ship is nearing port. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. the latest update is the cruise ship triumph will arrive at the port of mobile sometime between 2:00 and 5:00 this afternoon. that is central time.

you know those people on that ship will want to get off as soon as possible but the reality is disembarking is a process that will take several hours. while carnival has arranged for the families to get home as soon as possible, the hotel rooms are here with family members who didn't want to wait and want to see them as soon as possible. >> reporter: when the ship finally docks in a few hours, passengers will arrive after days without food and few working toilets and a tugboat was sent out to help tug it through the ship channel. for mary and kim, the last place they thought they'd be was alabama. they drove seven hours from texas to meet their terrified 12 and 10-year-old daughters, cruising with their dads. >> she was scared she would never get to see me again. that, as a parent, to hear your child say, i'm scared i won't ever see you again, momma, that was heart wrenching for me. >> reporter: carnival is

promising to get everyone home as soon as possible. passengerings will get hotel rooms in either mobile or new orleans tonight and dozens of buses have been brought in for those who want to leave immediately. >> there's nothing i can do except wait. that's what i'm doing. >> reporter: guy also made the trip from texas to meet his fiance, laura. it will be a massive operation getting everyone off the ship. mobile is setting up a triage unit right at the port to check people who think they might be sick. >> every decision we've made since sunday morning is to insure the safety of our guests and to get them home as quickly as possible. >> reporter: on wednesday, carnival said it would give passengers an additional $500 each. in addition to full reimbursement and a future cruise. it also canceled 12 more cruises on triumph, the vessel now out of service until at least mid-april. mary said she's fine if her daughter never sets foot on a cruise ship again. this morning, she's counting the

minutes until rebecca is back in her arms. >> it will be the happiest moment in my life up until now except for maybe when she was born. it's up there. i can't wait to see her and can't wait to have our eyes lock and have her run to me. it means everything. >> reporter: turns out a lot of passengers are opting for the coaches back to texas as soon as possible, not going to stay in a hotel and not going to wait for a flight home tomorrow. keep in mind, when they get back, they still have to go to galveston, hundreds and thousands of passengers have left cars at the port of galveston where the cruise ship left from so they're not back home yet. they have to pick up their cars and then drive home from there. it's been a long long ordeal and we will start hearing from them very soon. back to you. >> jamie baker is on the ship right now. good morning, can you hear me? >> yes, i can. >> how are you and your fellow passengers doing? can you describe the conditions aboard the ship?

>> my friends and i, we're doing okay. it is extremely terrible conditions. we have no toilets, we have no electricity. there's only emergency electricity, which basically lights up the landing strips in the hallway. sanitation is a huge problem. food is very sporadic. sometimes they'll have like burgers that you have to wait in line literally for four hours. most of the time, though, my friends and i, by the time you get to the end of the line, they just have like sandwiches, you know. it's just -- to me, i'm from houston, texas, lake jackson, just south of that, and it reminds me of like hurricane vacse evacuations when we have no power, like katrina except it's a dome and floating. >> have there been days you haven't gotten to eat at all? >> there have not been days we haven't gotten to eat.

it's basically bread is what you get. the their sandwiches are like maybe a thin slice of tomato with mayonnaise, by the time we get there, you know. however, the one good thing i have to say is the crew has been phenomenal. they have tried to do the best that they possibly can. the leadership, oh, my gosh, like they'll tell us one thing, you know, for example, a tugboat was supposed to come once that first evening. we sat on the water for two days with nothing. the seas are really high. in fact, that night, my friends and i slept with our life vests in our bed. i truly truly thought the boat was going to tip over because it slants at like a 45 degree angle one day and then the next day, it's to the other side. like, i don't know, pipes are busting. i know the sewer is backing up and like water is in the cabins and it's just a nightmare.

>> it sounds absolutely horrendous, jamie. did i hear you correctly a few moments ago, there are no working toilets or there's just -- >> there's very limited. for example, ours worked one day for one hour. but then it has not worked since then. so basically we've had an hour of it working. i mean, we have to use the bathroom in these bags in the trash can, you know, like the vanity trash can. then we have to take it into the hall and put it in these bigger bags. it's so -- you know, it's not good and the smell, oh -- >> i can only imagine, jamie. how are the other passengers handling this? have you seen any instances of other passengers becoming ill. is there any you're very worried about right now? >> well, yes, we were in line one night and a lady passed out. they think she was maybe having a heart attack. they gave her baby aspirin.

we hear rumors of other things and heard one man had a heart attack. the worst i saw was a little girl sitting on a floor with a breathing treatment machine. guess she had asthma and her machine was plugged in where people were charging and she was getting a breathing treatment, meanwhile, there's water all around her. it's just very very scary. it's extreme conditions, you know. >> well, jamie, we're so happy to talk to you. i hope this is going to come to an end very very soon. thank you for being with us this morning and telling us about the conditions aboard the ship. >> thank you. >> now, here's matt. >> savannah, new. we have new information this morning on the deadly end to the manhunt for that former los angeles police officer christopher dorner, this as we hear for the first time from the couple who was tied up by that murder suspect in their mountain cabin. n nbc's miguel is there. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. initially, there were reports it

was a mother and daughter cleaning crew that stumbled on to dorner behind me in the cabin. in fact it was a married couple and wife. they called 911 to the dispatchers, there was concern there was a cleaning crew in this area and put out that warning. that's where the confusion was. needless to say, when they walked into their cabin, they couldn't believe their eyes. >> we had come into the living room. he opened the door and came out at us and he had his gun drawn. >> he yelled stay calm. >> reporter: karen and jim reynolds weren't just looking down the barrel of a gun, they were face to face with an accused killer. >> when he came out and said stay calm, karen screamed and started running. he ran after her. >> he caught her at the door. >> on the staircase. >> reporter: there he stood 6'2" 270 pounds dressed in camouflage ready to kill. >> he said i know you've been seeing the news and know who i

am. >> reporter: christopher dorner had been using the cabin as a hideout and told the couple you had nothing to fear. >> he said he didn't have a problem with us, just wanted to clear his name. i don't have a problem with you so i won't hurt you. >> reporter: accused of murdering three, on the run for six days, dorner was likely inside the reynolds' home for much of that time. now, he wanted out. >> asked if we had a car, where is it? >> reporter: dorner would take the reynolds' car, first he forced them to the bedroom. >> he was always very very calm. and he really -- you really could tell that he was professionally trained. >> reporter: he bound their arms with ziplock, stuffed their mouths with towels, then covered their heads with pillowcases. >> i had a pillowcase over my head, i thought he may have changed his mind. >> reporter: the reynolds thought they would be killed. after 15 minutes, dorner walked

out the front door, armed and ready for war. >> vehicle taken was purple maroon nissan rogue. the suspect took the keys and took off in the vehicle. >> reporter: with dorner gone, the reynolds broke free and called 911. >> we have the suspect hold up in a cabin. >> reporter: police chief say the former cop gunned down a sheriff's deputy now identified as a 35-year-old jeremiah mackay, theastfdorner's victims. >> another officer down. >> copy, another officer down. >> reporter: with the murder spree over, the reynolds afraid for their own lives never wanted dorner to lose his. didn't wish him dead at any point, i really didn't. i prayed for him a lot, and i'm praying for his family now. >> this morning, investigators are trying to determine how long dorner was holed up in that cabin behind me but also trying to figure out how they may have missed him when they made a

sweep through this area. matt. >> big bear, california this morning, me dpe morning, miguel, thanks very much. we begin with the mega merger just announced to create the world's largest airline as u.s. airlines and america joins forces. tom covers aviation for us, good morning. >> hi. natalie. this is an $11 billion deal and he helps american airlines emerge from chapter 11. 95,000 employees, 637 daily flights. what does it mean for travelers? previous airline mergers often led to higher ticket prices, watch for that. these two carriers expected to operate separately or longer. existing tickets honored and frequent flyer programs for now will replay in separate and this deal will require justice department approval and that could take some time. natalie. >> thank you. the president has declared a state of disaster in southern

mississippi after a powerful tornado ripped through hattiesburg earlier this week. officials estimated it could take tens of millions of dollars to repair the destruction left in the twister's path and severely damaged a college campus and hundreds of homes. good news for the economy. fewer americans are on the way to foreclosure. the number of homes being are repossessed dropped 28% january of 2012 and january of this year and meantime, employee 401(k) accounts surged 21% last year according to fidelity investments and attributed to a strong stock market and increased contributions by individuals and their companies. any other good news to report from the stock exchange? sn>> no but good news overseas could knock the s&p 500 off its highs. and they're all contracting in the fourth quarter. wall street isn't in love with valentine's day.

historically, the s&p 500 is up 52% of the time. but on february 14th, its winning percentage is only 39%. investors must have other things on their mind. back to you. >> i'm guessing so, mary thompson at the new york stock exchange. thank you. leonard cooper has to be the coolest kid in his high school now. here he is on "final jeopardy" at the team tournament, the category military men, clue on june 6, 1944, he said the eyes of the world are upon us. check out how leonard handled this. knew, we go to leonard cooper. he's looking happy, why? did he come up with dwight eisenhower? >> i didn't. >> some guy in normandy. but i just won $75,000. >> the correct answer was dwight eisenhower becoming president. no question the kid is a champ and gets to take home the big

check of $75,000. >> that's cool. >> talk about a cool way to handle it. >> no idea but i still win. seats. strategy. natalie, thanks. mr. roker is here with a first check of the weather. >> that's right. our friends in florida are on a. that's right, we laid down the tracks with the stationary front and storm after storm will be running across. look for the rain to bring anywhere from three to five inches over the next 24 hours. and we have a clipper coming across the great lakes. going to bring light snow generally, about three to six inches of snow. but from green bay all the way to traverse city and we are looking at about six to nine inches of snow. we're going to get to your local forecast in just a sec, but, first, this message.

good morning. road and air temperatures are at or below freezing. so, we've got multiple accidents due to icy conditions happening right now and going to stay below freezing here for maybe another hour or so. then by 9:00, getting above freezing and by noontime, the 40s near 50 during the afternoon. tomorrow, increasing clouds into the 50s and then some light rain maybe afternoon and evening and change to snow into midnight friday night into saturday. much that ease yo that's your la. savannah. coming up breaking news of olympic runner oscar pistorius for the murder of his

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good morning, 7:26 on this thursday, february 14th. i'm aaron gilchrist. two school delays to tell you about. frederick and paige county schools on a two-hour delay in virginia and maryland because of the weather. icy conditions also to blame for some breaking news on the memorial bridge. tony with more. tony? >> outbound lanes closed right now due to a four-car accident. take a look, they have cleared two of the cars off and bringing a tow truck to clear the other two cars off. they did bring in salt trucks to salt the memorial bridge. when they did that, they had to shut down inbound lanes, as well. severe backup for folks coming

into the district. again, very icy conditions on the memorial bridge. if you're coming in, use a little bit of time. for now, we'll send it over to danella. >> following this throughout the morning. as you make your way southbound at the beltway, they shut your southbound lanes down, again. because cars have spun out and you can see a car on the sidewalk here and another car off to your left shoulder lane. as they zoom in. again, your lanes are blocked right at the beltway. let's head over fairfax county parkway. all the lanes are blocked in both directions. aaron?

good morning, icy spots will persist for about another hour or so. stay below freezing until then. then we'll climb into the 40s later this morning near 50 this afternoon. increasing clouds into the 50s

and might get late rain changing to some snow. after midnight friday night, into perhaps part of saturday and still cold in the first part of next week, maybe rain on tuesday, aaron.

7:30 on a thursday morning. it's the 14th day of february, 2013. we're following stunning news coming out of south africa, the murder arrest of olympic sprinter oscar pistorius following an overnight shooting at his home. we will have an clexclusive interview coming up with the woman who apparently was oscar's girlfriend. matt lauer with savannah guthrie. we will have a chance to talk to clinton romesha about the act of bravery that just

earned him a medal of honor. be john say getting personal about her love and marriage and what she considers to be her biggest battle of her life. we will begin with this overnight story, murder of the girlfriend of oscar pistorius. joining us is the managing director of the agency that represents reeva steenkemp. our condolences. >> thank you. >> what can you tell me about what you learned about what happened here and what may be the circumstances? >> we've been in communication with people on the scene since a quarter to 8:00 this morning. it's been a very long morning. there are no official statements. a lot of speculation going on at the moment. we are unable to provide any information accurate at this moment. our thoughts and prayers are with that family and everyone is

waiting to see what's going to be happening as everyone is in court as we speak. >> i can imagine the shock across south africa and across the world because so many people have come to know and love oscar pistorius. obviously he is innocent until proven guilty and we don't know the charges and what the nature of the charges may be. had you witnessed this relationship at all? how long had they been together and did you see anything that would have caused you concern? >> no. they've been together a couple of months. i'm not at liberty to comment on their private life. we were her agent and her publicist and today, we've seen nothing. so it's devastating and very shocking for us, too, for everyone. >> had you ever met oscar? what were your impressions? >> yes. the same as everyone else. charming, great guy. shocking. >> have you been able to talk to any members of reeva's family? do you know how they're doing?

>> i have. no, they're not doing very well right now, as you can imagine. everyone is -- there's no words to describe the sadness. they're not doing very well right now. they're surrounded -- they're surrounded by family and friends, as much support -- but, you know, it doesn't bring their daughter back at the end of the day. >> indeed. the police spokesman said this morning there had been previous incidents at oscar pistorius's home and reports of quote a domestic nature. do you know anything about that? >> no, absolutely not. i don't. >> had you seen them interact? could you determine what kind of relationship they had? >> i have. they were two people that were going out. they seemed happy. i can't comments a to, as i said the intimate relationship that they had behind closed doors but they looked happy, as any couple would when out.

no, i didn't see anything. >> sarit tomlinson, our condolences to you and reeva's family. thank you for being with us this morning. >> thank you. >> so many questions that haven't been answered. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> our friends out west are dealing with a lot of wind today. high pressure building in and, so, we look for almost what could be santa ana-like winds. wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour. here in the east. we have cold weather coming. tomorrow new york city a high of 38 degrees and 41 in washington, d.c. and 49 in new york city. 54 in washington, d.c. then saturday that front moves through. temperatures drop anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees and atlanta drop down into the 40s and on sunday the cold air in the northeast starts to celt up and we'll start to see moderating warmth down through the south. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods.

>> just past 7:30 and still below freezing and iciness throughout most of the region from the overnight moisture that remained liquid until about three hours ago and started freezing up. stay below freezing for another hour and then get above freezing by 8:30, 9:00 this morning. storm team 4 four-day forecast. increasing clouds into the mid-50s and late rain late friday and change to snow part of saturday. much colder for the weekend. that's your late e weather. matt. al, thanks very much. now to our special series, flashpoint guns in america. is it possible to personalize firearms so they will only work for the owner. tom costello has been looking into that question. good morning. >> matt, the short answer is, yes, it is possible. this idea was floated 20 years ago to address the number of police officers by someone who grabbed their weapon. since then, the technology has come a long way. what if the gun that adam stole

from his mother to kill 20 children and 6 adults in newtown, connecticut, what if that gun refused to work? a smart gun only fired by its authorized owner, the kind of technology we see in the latest james bond movie, ""skyfall"." >> the grip has been coded to your palm prints so only you can fire it. less of a random killing machine, more of a personal statement. >> turns out it's not just in the movies. >> if you take it from me, within seconds, the light turns red. give it back to me, i take it from you, it's green again. >> reporter: the technology already exists both in handguns and rifles. with the i-gun rifle, it's all about the micro-chip inside the ring the gun owner wears. the chip transmits a code in the receiver to the rifle.

>> it's looking for a particular code. if it does not find the code, it does not unlock. >> reporter: inventor, jonathan mossberg calls it a ring of safety. >> with the ring it does not fire, with the ring, it does fire. >> reporter: designed to keep guns away from children or any who fears their gun could be used against them. >> maybe a homeowner in a certain situation. mate be an air marshall, maybe a teacher who chooses to carry a firearm. >> reporter: with a german made armatix handgun, it's a pin encoded in the watch. >> it won't shoot because it's red, when give it to him. >> reporter: but the nra believes it could be a first step towards gun control. >> this is all really pie in the sky hypothetical. >> reporter: nra says smart technology could drive up the cost of a gun and any questions whether it would be reliable when an owner needed a gun for

self-defens self-defense. >> what we really need is not smart guns and prohibition of firearms. we need gun education. >> reporter: gun policy advocates point to the 500,000 guns stolen every year and 600 people killed in accidental shootings. technology that could save some of those lives, moving from the movies. >> good luck with that. >> to mainstream. >> won't shoot. >> we mentioned the smart guns were first discussed 20 years ago but then that discussion fell by the wayside. one concern has been if a police officer needed his or her smart gun to work and it didn't, the consequences could be deadly, but smart guns are already being sold in europe and asia. matt. >> tom costello, thank you very much. up next, he showed incredible braver rin the face of an all out attack by the taliban, the nation's newest medal of honor winner live in our studio. after this.

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we are back now with a true american hero. >> retired army staff sergeant clinton romesha resthefd medal of honor this week and we will talk to him and his wife in a moment but first the actions that earned him the highest military honor. keating, afghanistan, 2009, oo 200 u.s. soldiers against nearly 400 call ban. enemy fire from every direction. three u.s. soldiers killed in the first hour. >> they held out as long as they could but the overwhelming fire made it impossible to do anything but sit there and take it. >> staff sergeant clinton

romesha took out an enemy machine squad before grenade shrapnel blasted his hip, arm and neck. but he kept on fighting. >> i knew i had been hit but i could still walk and talk and run. i was good to go. >> thinking victory was theirs, the taliban fighters entered the out post. >> they think we're all dead. all right, guys, let's get them for this and let's show them we're still here and still kicking. >> eight u.s. soldiers were killed and romesha led the firefight to drive the taliban out and get the bodice of his american comrades. >> you won't beat down that spirit that we will win. we were going to win that battle. >> this week, president obama awarded romesha the medal of honor. >> this is our nation's highest military declaration. it reflects the gratitude of our entire country. >> at the ceremony, it was

romesha's son, colin, who nearly stole the show, just a day with daddy, the war hero. >> and staff sergeant clinton romesha is with us along with his wife, tammy. good morning to you both and congratulations. >> thank you. >> we'll talk about what happened in afghanistan in a sec. take me back to the white house. what was it like to have the president place that medal around your neck? >> so many emotions going through your head. to know i'm sharing the experience with so many great friends and family and all of america and all their great support that they give us, while soldiers are still overseas. >> this was an incredibly moving ceremony not just for the words that are said but there's an image of you, sergeant, where it's so powerful, it seems to say it all. tammy, what was it like for you to see your husband standing up there receiving the highest honor? >> very emotional, like trying to hold this all together and making sure colin doesn't get down again.

>> your husband had kept some of the details of what happened in afghanistan from you until recently. do you think that was the right idea? >> i think so. >> was it hard to hear what he actually went through? >> there are certain aspects that are hard, but, you know, he's my hero everyday before, after and in the future. >> it's hard to do justice to what you and your fellow soldiers went through, but just to set the scene a little bit, these were desperate circumstance, you're in this remote out-post, you wake up surrou surrounded by hundreds of taliban fighters. there's just 52 of you. in that moment, do you think you knew how desperate these circumstances were? >> in that moment, you knew you had to rally the guys. we had to stick together as a team like we had done time and time again and dig deep and just like, you know, all the soldiers out there, you know, it's our job. that fighting spirit, you know, and let's go, guy, you know, let's win. >> you defied orders at one

moment. you were told to stay put and instead you ran right into the fire. at that moment, that split second decision, how did you make it? >> just reacted. i mean, just -- >> instinct? >> yes. let, you know, the gut lead the way. and we got lucky, got lucky. >> well, the unthinkable happened while you were there. at one point the taliban actually breached the campus, which was your home. they're walking in. what was your thought at that point? >> just wow, really? you know. >> disbelief? >> yeah. you know, it was like just couldn't -- it took a while for everything to engage, it was like, no, this ain't going to happen here. >> tammy, your kids are young, right? we saw colin running around at the white house. at some point they will be old enough and know what dad did. do you think they will feel their father is a hero? >> oh, yeah.

we're going to be a family. they're going to know what they -- you know, they will have all the pictures everyone has taken. it will be okay. >> more important when the president says it, sergeant, but for the entire nation, we say thank you. thank you very much and congratulations. >> thank you. >> it is a pleasure to meet you both. we will be back, right after these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker oats. today is going to be epic. quaker up.

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back at 7:50 now. the late night comics are having a little bit of a field day with one of the talked about moments from the state of the union. senator marco rubio's awkward move to get a sip of water during the republican response. take a look. >> let me tell you from experience it is not easy being on tv. you have the sweltering lights. you have the audience, you have the cameras, knowing you're being watched by millions.

[ applause ] >> it really can give a person a little bit of cotton mouth. >> i'm sorry. i'm nervous tonight for some reason. i'm just sweating a bit so i had to -- i'm just going to ju just -- just going to -- get something to drink here. [ applause ] >> just so thirsty. should have drank something before the show, i don't know why i didn't think of that. >> actually, the most impressive thing about president obama's speech last night, he did the whole thing without a single drink of water. >> and some things going through marco rubios' mind at this moment. that looked presidential, right? >> you handle it by always maintaining eye contact with the home viewer and connecting to

the audience. >> why was the water so far away? it would have been less awkward if he reached down the front of his pants to get it. >> you know -- >> it would have been less awkward had he been wearing one of these on his head during the speech. >> took your suggestion. the hat or camelback will be good. i'm sure this won't come up on "snl" this weekend. >> why was the water so far away. >> at that point, better to have no water. >> his look, okay. >> exactly. >> you almost have to feel bad. they prepared so hard for this speech and this is the thing people remember. >> i know. >> it's a thankless speejob, di in spanish and english. >> a thankless job. >> and coming up, savannah carrying around tables in new

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7:56 is your time now on this thursday, february 14th, 2013. we have breaking new on the roads this morning. the first 4 traffic office is very busy. let's get right to danella sealock. >> tracking a few accidents in our area. rolling road all of your lanes are blocked in both directions. chopper 4 is live over the scene and actually looks like they possibly have started to open up and allow cars to get by. but, please use caution, again, this is because of ice. let's head over this time to the upper marlboro area. your lanes inbound are blocked and central avenue and then that's how you get in. back over to yo

good morning. just now starting to get above freezing. parts of the region patchy ice. watch out for that for another hour. near 50 this afternoon. partly cloudy and tomorrow increasing clouds into the mid-50s and could get rain late tomorrow afternoon and evening. snow after that after midnight. friday night into parts of saturday. much colder for the weekend and a cold start to next week, as well. eun? >> tom, thank you.

good morning. >> 8:00 now on this thursday morning, thursday february 14, 20 2013. it is valentine's day. we say happy valentine's day to all of you at home and the fine folks who came out to rockefeller plaza to say hello. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer and al roker. coming up, we will see beyonce like we rarely see it. is there a new documentary and in it she talks quite openly about her marriage and what she does in those performances. a lot more from her. >> we've all been doing these psas and it's savannah's turn

and her cause is helping feed the hungry and turning the tables on hunger. >> literally turning the tables on hunger. a reminder, tomorrow morning, savannah and i will be live from boston. we will be in the boston area. stop by. we have history and music and song and dance. >> and a little something down your pants. >> live from boston, massachusetts. join us, we will have a good time. we're looking forward to it. >> take this show on the road. >> we receive. >> exactly. natalie morales is at the newsdesk. good morning to you. >> good morning, everyone. double amputee olympic runner oscar pistorius was charged overnight with the valentine's day murder of his girlfriend. the model, reeva steenkemp was killed outside his home and they said there had been previous incidents at the home.

a nine millimeter was recovered. pistorius was the first track athlete to compete a the olympics last year. and more than 4,000 passengers and crew members aboard the disabled carnival cruise ship. the carnival triumph is being towed today. an engine caught fire and left it drifting in the gulf of mexico. passengers had been complaining about heat, unsanitary conditions and inadequate food. carnival disputes some of those claims and has admitted the ship had other mechanical problems in the weeks before the fire. earn airlin american airlin have announced a mega merger that would create the world's largest airline. it must be approved by a judge in a federal bankruptcy case and federal regulators. we're also hearing for the first time with a couple who came face to face with fugitive

ex-cop christopher dorner just before he kill a police officer in that standoff. jim and mary reynolds returned to their vacation home tuesday and confronted by dorner. >> very insistent that -- >> he didn't have a problem with us, just wanted to clear his name. he said, i don't have a problem with you so i'm not going to hurt you. >> dorner suspected of four murders, bound and gagged, apparently covered their heads with pillowcases before stealing their car. the couple broke free and called 911. now, for a look at what is trending today, a quick look what has you talking online, lady gaga canceling the rest of her "born this way" world tour. she will need surgery to repair a hip injury and had joint inflammation but it is worse than that. and an hour-long flight delay tuesday at kennedy's airport, the celebrity couple

had to be privately screened and in an airline employee let them bypass the checkpoint, a violation of protocol. and this went viral about eating sprinkles and this shows still hasn't learned his lesson about fibbing. >> how old are you? >> 3. >> you're 3? sn>> do you have any pets? >> yes. >> a puppy. >> although you don't have a puppy. have you read my book? yeah. what did you think of it? you like it? >> have you ever driven a car? >> yeah. >> a lot of tough questions. >> since john thoroughly plundered his mother's sprinkle supply, ellen presents him with his very own sprinkles bar and keep him busy and hyped up on sugar a long time. back to al with the weather. >> that is spectacular. thank you. it's your birthday today.

what's your name? >> amy. your birthday is valentine's day. did oou amy getiaim -- amy get ripped off? birthday and valentine's together. >> you're alex. >> what's your name? >> eli. >> are you with them, eli? >> yeah. >> but you're kind of standing away abit. just in case things go badly. let's see what we have for you for today. hey, for today's friday field trip in boston. tomorrow, partly cloudy, breezy, milder, 48 degrees. because i did not want to hear savannah whining about the weather. >> i never do that. >> a little bit of a clipper moving off through the great lakes. that will drop three to six inches of snow. snow showers in the northern rockies and air stagnation alerts in parts of the pacific northwest. a lot of heavy rain through central and southern florida. beautiful day in the western gulf right on into texas and southern california, although a

little windy in southern cali. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> watch out for ice on roadways and sidewalks and steps this morning. temperatures now just beginning to get above freezing parts of the region. pockets of iciness will prevail for another, perhaps, 45 minutes to an hour. by 9:00, though, most of it will be melting and near 40 by then and then near 50 by mid-afternoon and we'll have a few clouds in and out and then tomorrow increasing clouds and near freezing in the morning and afternoon highs into the 50s and maybe light rain moving in friday evening and chang and that's your latest weather. >> thank you, mr. roker. coming up next, beyonce gets personal with what she say is the battle of her life, in her own words. then, why we're doing heavy lifting for my public service announcement. this wednesday, we're live at the biggest flower market in the world. there's my order right there. fist, these messages. [ male announcer ] why is kellogg's crunchy nut so delicious?

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back now at 8:09, with one of the newest stars, beyonce. >> she seems to be everywhere. won grammys and sold millions worldwide and now she's airing her inner most thoughts in a documentary set to air this weekend on hbo. >> i always battle with how much do i reveal about myself? how do i keep my humility? >> clearly, back in the spotlight following a year long maternity leave, 31-year-old beyonce knowles stripped of makeup and open about her vulnerabilities invites the politic public to witness floorves her private life in a documentary she co-directed called "life is but a dream. >> how do i keep my spirit and reality and how do i continue to be generous to my fans and my craft? how do i stay current, but how

do i stay soulful? and it is the battle of my life. ♪ >> reporter: in january, it shocked many to learn beyonce used prerecorded tracks at president obama's second inauguration. her critics were silent at a february press conference days before her super bowl show. ♪ >> any questions? >> reporter: the singer's ability to inspire on the stage always on her mind. >> you look in the audience and you see this little girl that was me when i was looking at michael or janet or tina turner, and there's no way i'm not going to give 100%, because i remember being that girl.

and i'm still that girl. >> reporter: what now seems evident is that beyonce, as she expands her empire beside hip-hop mogul husband shawn jay-z qatar is doing so with a newfound confidence. >> this is a defining moment for her. she's reintroducing herself to the world. she took a little break, hiatus. >> in the documentary, beyonce speaks about her marriage and motherhood, daughter, blue ivory just celebrating her first birthday. she shows herself letting her air down with her sister and kelly roland from destiny's child band. ♪ >> you know, i have been around the world. i've seen so many things. i love my husband, but there's nothing like a conversation with a woman that understands you. i grow so much from those conversations. >> reporter: she speaks about painful miscarriage kept secret until jay-z rapped about it in

his song "glory." nothing is left unsaid. >> beyonce told me she's comfortable in her skin now and why she's letting down these walls. >> when i walk onto a stage, i'm able to come out of my shell and be fabulous and over the top and strong and powerful as i want to b be. >> the documentary airs this saturday on hbo. we'll be seeing much more of beyonce in the months ahead. she is launching a world tour in april. >> a talented lady. when we come back, why sav sna is throwing the world's largest dinner party, right after this. what,t, while we'reg why don't we play a game of hide and seek? right now? yeah go hide. go on buddy. one, two... [ son ] come and find me! three! [ son ] are you even looking for me? i am looking! [ male announcer ] bite-sized chicken's grown up. kfc bites. freshly hand-breaded big bites of premium breast meat, seasoned in the colonel's original recipe.

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bacon?! bacon? bacon! who wants a beggin' strip? meee! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum, yum, yum... it's bacon!!! mmmmm...i love you. i love bacon. i love you. [ male announcer ] there's no time like beggin' time. and sure enough, we're family. but you're not even shredded. you're...crunchy?! that happens sometimes. [ female announcer ] a crunch of whole grain fiber that helps keep you full. new frosted mini-wheats crunch. it's a big breakfast... [ crunch! ] ...in new a little biscuit. [ crunch! ] nature's true celebrities aren't always the most obvious. it's more than being glamorous, or tall. it's not all about who sparkles the most. or who is the best dressed. what nature really cares about is what you have to offer. like the stevia plant. small and humble with a surprising secret to share... sweetness.

truvia sweetener. zero-calorie sweetness, born from the stevia leaf. from nature, for sweetness. we're back now, 8:16, our special series today takes action. and teamed up with the ad council to mark its 70th year and create public announcements for very important issues. >> first, matt played hi hide-and-seek in the name of fatherhood involvement and al for weather preparedness. >> natalie got help from her dog to encourage shelter dog adoptio adoption. >> and today, we're paying asen atension to the growing problem of hunger. >> in this land of plenty, there is a crisis, one in 6 struggles

with hunger and 15 million without enough food and the face of hunger is not always what we imagine. too often, it is the face of a chil child. >> one nation under god -- >> the truth is there isn't always a full meal put on my tabl table. >> you will go to the fridge and there will be nothing there. >> i used to be scared, if any other kids found out i didn't have food i was poor, i thought they would make fun of me. >> i struggled. >> going to get chocolate, christine? how's it look? pretty good? you eat this whole plate, will you be full? >> no. >> lunchtime means different things to those who knows what it feels like not to have enoug enough. >> i see how some people start out with a meal and they start throwing everything away and like they don't keep things maybe for leftovers. >> you don't like to see people

waste? >> no, not at all. >> these kids go to school in a middle class connecticut suburb, but 17 million american children have the same concern. >> i think it's really brave of all of you to be talking to us about it. is it something you feel comfortable talking about? >> why should we have to struggle if we need it to survive, why can't we get it when we need it? >> how often are you thinking about food? usually every single day because your stomach will tie up in knots because you're so hungry. >> everyday you feel like that? >> uh-huh. >> people don't really see that there's hunger right here in these hall ways. >> uh-huh. >> a mind that is always on foreign countries, but it is right here in our community. >> when you get sad or discouraged, what do you tell yourself to make yourself feel

better about everything? >> after a hurricane comes a rainb rainbow. after it gets hard it always gets easier and you make the best of what you have. it always works out good in the en end. >> an apple is really good. >> we asked these kid what they would do if they were superheroes, with the power to end world hung er.hunger. >> my superhero is the food angel. she leaves a basket outside their house with all the food. >> she's flying across the country. >> giving food to everyone in the world. >> she has a magical bag. >> strawberries, corn, an orange. >> let there be food. >> we're so lucky to live in this country and we have so many people that are caring and have big hearts. i think that if more people knew about this issue, they would want to help. so we're going to make a

commercial about hunger in america. what do you think we should say? >> just like you never know what's happening behind closed doors because you never know what people's lives are going to be like. >> ready? >> superheroes we're not but we do have the power of millions of viewers who may not realize the extent of the problem. i joined forces with the ad agency cutwater and joined forces to make this ad. their idea is have me set up the world's largest dinner party with enough tables to feed america. is joe here? >> let me introduce you to him. >> hi. no. i think you're joe. i googled you. >> my director is he legendary joe pitka. this man has directed over 5,000

commercials including some of the most famous super bowl ads ever. and now he's directing someone -- >> savannah. >> who's never acted a day in her life. >> ready for action. >> sorry. say it again. >> go, action. you have to get out of the way. >> you want me out? >> move up. >> let me get out of the way. oh. sorry. well, that didn't work out. i keep getting caught. after a few scenes, i'm convinced they may give my role to the stand-in. >> is any walking up the street and saying, is that savannah guthrie? >> unfortunately, no. >> after a little while practice makes -- >> perfect. timing is perfect. >> it's hard picking up these tables but thankfully, i'm really strong. great. he said i was fabulous. even my co-star, jimmy the cop

thinks we have something. do you feel we have a good actress chemistry? >> yes. you came around after the first couple of hours. >> do you think i have a future as an actor? >> no, not at all actually. >> after a day of heavy lifting, i'm leaving it to joe and the agency to inspire a spot to any who sees it. >> i'm savannah guthrie and together, we're feeding america. >> wow. >> cool. >> such a touching story, so cool to get to do something that we hope will raise awareness. without further ado, we'll see if all that heavy lifting helping end hunger. here's the psa. >> and we're out. you have plans? >> you bet. 50 million americans struggle with hunger. we can do something about it. >> excuse me. >> what's going on? >> dinner. >> please join me in helping put food on their table. together, we can feed america. >> you guys keep going. i'm going to get the plates. >> plates?

>> find your local food bank at feedamerica.org/hunger. >> it's great. >> it's a cool idea because i think we have so much and this is the land of plenty but we don't always think about those who we know. these are friends and neighbors who may not always have enough. if you want to find a feed america program in your area, you can do it head to today.com and look at all our psas. >> hats off to robin, who did an amazing job on this. >> great job. valentine's day, people sending or receiving flowers and chances are they're fresh off a long journey. in amsterdam, home of the world's biggest flower market, michelle, look at you. >> look at all these gorgeous blooms. yesterday, these were growing and today, they're busy wrapping them up. these will land in the u.s. tonight in case of any last minute valentine's. right across the street is the

world's biggest flower auction where 60% of this planet's floral surprises pass-throu thr. it is the site of monaco, a mind-boggling grand central station. color, variety and scents. 12.5 billion stems a year cruise through flora holland. mostly roses. valentine's day is stressful for serious traders vying t for prettiest, brightest, most desired. >> i bought magnolia. >> magnolia. >> right. >> reporter: how much do they cost? >> 30 euro, 50 for one stem. >> reporter: that is nearly $41 each flower. >> reporter: why so expensive? >> because they're very old and just a few on the market. >> reporter: the smell in here can only be described as if you woke up in a bed made of roses.

if someone covered your face with roses. yeah. if you lived inside of a rose. that's what it smells like. sending flowers really got going in the mid-1800s along with books on the symbolic language of flowers, not always nice. red roses for love but yellow meant i really don't like you. >> this beautiful bouquet could mean insincerity, disdain and perform? >> yes. >> reporter: today, refrigeration and transportation make all our most exotic in deciph decipherable floral messages come true. >> a lot of people will get roses for valentine's day that have been sniffed by me. i sniffed your roses. they say here that rose consumption has been going up every year, even with the economy. you really see supply and demand in action. yesterday, distributors were

paying about $4 a rose. tomorrow in most cases that will be down to 1 dollar. remember, that is what they're paying. what you pay is much more. back to you guys. >> michelle, thanks. all right, just just ahead, more valentine's love with last-minute recipes from sandra lee. breaking news at 8:26. icy roads causing major problems around the region. including in prince george's county where a bridge is shut down on route 4. let's go to danella. >> the bridge was shut down and it just opened. it just reopened. inbound, you are able to continue your commute but delays on 4. they're significant, over six miles right now. if you want to avoid it, your only other option take central avenue and head in. let's head over to 50. delays on 50 from bowie all the way to the beltway. at the beltway you'll find a crash blocking the right lanes here and it's just off to the side. aaron, back over to you.

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how can we help you shine today? good morning, just about to get up above freezing. near 50 by later this afternoon. increasing clouds on friday into the mid-50s. might get light rain friday evening changing to some snow

perhaps after midnight friday night into part of saturday. much colder for the weekend. highs only in the 30s. sun back on sunday. aaron? >> thank you, tom. don't forget tune into

we are back now. 8:30 on a thursday morning. it is the 14th day of february, 2013. february 14th, of course, translates into valentine's day 2013. love is in the air here on the plaza. we thank these people for stopping by. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie, al roker and

natalie morales. coming up, what is love really all about? >> jenna bush hager went to the playgrounds and other places to get a child's perspective. that should be interesting. we will find out what kids think about love, coming up with jenna is just a little while. >> if you ask a lot of people, they will say food is love. in our kitchen, we have great ideas for a romantic last minute meal for those folks who didn't get a reservation or made plans, coming up. plus, a very special valentine's edition of bow the wow. >> and what we love about each other. >> and mr. roker, do we love this forecast in boston tomorrow? >> absolutely. it will be gorgeous. temperatures in the upper 40s, ne.nty of sunshine. let's show you what we have around the rest of the country tomorrow. arctic express coming into the plains and windy in southern california and more rain in florida. saturday sunshine in northern florida and rain and snow showers in the plains.

snow in northern new england and then sunday, sunday, we're looking for snow showers around the great lakes, snow in the plains and nice and mild through the southwest and windy in central texas and sunny and cool in florida and plenty of sunshine but windy in the northeast. talk about love. 20 years of wedded bliss. what is your names? all right. where is the love? right here. very nice. that's what's going on -- that was so bad. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> watch out. still some icy spots on sidewalks, steps and some of the roadways, but temperatures gradually getting above freezing. much of the region up near 50 and we'll have a few clouds coming and going. then tomorrow increasing clouds near freezing in the morning, fran highs low to mid-50s and light rain on friday evening changing over to wet snow perhaps after midnight on friday night and that might linger into parts of saturday. much colder for the weekend. cold morning sunday and monday mornings and maybe

when we come back, we're pretty sure she is jenna bush hager an she will give us the kids' view on love. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:35. as we celebrate valentine's day, it's easy to get caught up in flowers and chocolates, "today's" correspondent jenna bush hager decided to get to the heart of the holiday. good morning. >> happy to see you. in a world that's often jaded we took a true meaning of love, as seen through the eyes of children. >> just want to hug you, kiss you and be with you forever and just stay with you. >> love is when you care for somebody and you will do anything for them to make them

happy. >> you love somebody, you don't matter what they look like because you just love them, you adore them. >> fifth grade chorus here at ps 22 in staten island knows a thing or two about love. sing traditional love songs. ♪ >> reporter: and more modern anthems. ♪ >> reporter: for all those who think romance is dead, these kids say love is in the air. >> one year, me, my sister and my brother, we put up decorations around the house and then when my mom and dad came home, we sang happy valentine's day. >> i love valentine's day. i like it because it has candy and chocolate. i love chocolate and i like the little heart shaped ones. >> every year, my dad comes home with flowers and we surprise my mom. >> they open their hearts

through song. bringing happiness and cheer to residents at sunrise senior home. >> some didn't have families that visited them. when we got to sing, it was almost like every song at a meaning, it was really fun because just to see the smile on their faces it was heart-warmin heart-warming. >> the music said something to them. you could tell they really appreciated it. they kept on hugging you and wouldn't let go. they wanted you to stay. >> across town, kids at the educational alliance after school program also celebrate valentine's day, by giving, not receiving. >> who are you making this card for? how common. >> because -- >> valentine card. >> it's a recipe of love and we should care about them. >> show people that you love them. >> reporter: what did you write? >> i wrote roses are red,

violets are blue. >> you are very special, aren't you? >> reporter: for the seniors at this home, the simple reminder the biggest hearts often arrive in the smallest packages. >> it means a lot to me to receive a card from a child that i don't know. >> why are you crying? >> you are touching me. >> reporter: words written or sung, bringing smiles to faces young and old. >> happy valentine's day to everybody. >> happy valentine's day. >> happy valentine's day. >> happy valentine's day. >> happy valentine's day. >> happy valentine's day. >> reporter: if there's one thing i learned working on this piece, no gesture is too small as long as it comments fres fro heart. they're so sweet. kids are pure. it's fun to see the world through their eyes. >> and the senior citizens were so touched. it was really beautiful. >> they really were.

there were a lot of tears. >> i'm feeling the love. >> we're all tearing up this morning. >> for those of us that have ki kids, did your kids spend hours making valentines because these days, you have to make one for everyone. >> you can't make them? >> no. my little one made 20 valentines. >> i love that. >> it's wild. >> we used to buy those little boxes. >> we bought the cards. >> we had to give it to everybody. >> you're a better parent obviously. >> you're almost there. >> happy valentine's day. >> thank you. coming up next, we stick with the theme, a last minute romantic dinner you can whip up for your sweetie. first, this is "today" on nbc.

we are back now, 8:41 with

our celebration on valentine's day. did you forget to book an under reservation? it's a not too late. you can have an under at home, romantic meal with your sweetheart. sandra lee is here with the latest issue of sandra lee magazine. >> he's already teeing up to give me grief on valentine's. >> there is an ingredient issue we will talk about in a second that caught my attention. the big deal on valentine's, the last thing you want to do is spend your time slaving away in the kitchen. this is the kind of meal you can make and set it aside. >> that's why your producers called me. champagne, candy and pot roast. >> this is cola. what made you think of cola? >> carmel and sweetness in cola will tenderize the meat. you can use unexpensive kinds of meat.

rump roast, round roast. but the cola will add a great flavor. i do not recommend diet. >> why? >> because it has that -- you said it before. >> funny after taste. i don't know if that's the case in pot roast. you braise the pot roast first? >>. >> i am braising all four sides and put the cream of mushroom suit into the cola. what kind of colas can you use? >> anything but diet cola. even root beer. do it like you mean it. this is weird, cola with cream of mushroom soup and onion soup. you're making a mess here. >> that's okay. you're here, you will clean it up. >> that is a concoction a little unusual. >> carrots, onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. then you put your pot roast -- >> right on top of that. >> right on top of that. a roast that big to brown at least takes what? >> at least a couple minutes, depends how high the heat is.

then, you will pour over the cola and soup mixture because you always need something wet in a slow cooker. put it back on, 4 to 6 hours on high heat, 8-10 on low and you are done. would imagine incredibly tender when done. falls apart with a fork. while that's cooking, you can either concentrate on the romance or concentrate on making dessert. we've chosen dessert for us today. >> we all know what matt meant by that. cherry yogurt with whipped topping, frozing section of the grocery store. >> you can make the whipped topping yourself but takes a long time. i have a feeling if you make it, it wouldn't get into the parfait. you have to give him a little bit of grief, now, i'm going to give him grief after mykola. and you can get this store bought or ready made, and put in some of your whipped topping. >> looks good. >> this is good.

>> by the way, cherry yogurt. cherry pie filling. >> if you're not a cherry fan, could you do this with raspberry filling? blueberrie blueberries. >> that's not coming off there. all right. chocolate. my chocolate chips, onto a baking sheet after you microwave them, melt them down. 15 second intervals. there are things that are called hard candies that are colored. you buy them at the craft store. same thing with chocolate. melt that down, dribble it over the top. once you lay out the white chocolate on the baking seat, let it dry, meaning cool, punch it out with your -- right? >> that is really nice. you put a little more on top there and cherry on the top. we have one more dessert back here. talk to me about champagne cupcakes? >> champagne cupcakes, you have to have a little cocktail at the end. instead of water substitute for

champagne or dry white wine cocktail that is godiva chocolate liqueur and irish cream cake and vodka with a chocolate gonash. take a hot knife, cut your ends on the side of the glass. that is a happy valentine's. >> happy valentine's day to you. thank you for the quick suggestions at the end. >> did i give you to much grief? >> not at all. >> i love you. love your wife, too. >> so do i, okay. sandra lee, thank you very much. up next, animals in need. from bow to wow. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> you are nice. always nice.

we are back from bow to wow where we find shelter animals a loving home, a great thing to do on valentine's day. >> hello. the best news on this special loving day we are at 100%, always good. i know i always say this, we have a red and white group guaranteed to be heart melters from the shelter. on the day of love, we have smooch. who wouldn't want to kiss this little dog. >> mooch is a 6-month-old

chihuahua mix. >> he's very very sweet. lots of smooches from smooch. >> this big fur ball northeast that hair is gorgeous valentino, a very desirable breed. >> he is a bre jojon poodle mix. >> he needs a little love on valentine's day. you'd have to not have a heart not to love this boy appropriately named heart. what an angel. chilling out. i just met him 10 seconds ago. he is a perfect package in my car, isn't he? >> he is a norfolk terrier mix, nine months old. >> they're very smart, this breed. this is your lucky day, sweet pea, come here. don't be afraid. she is an angel. look at sweet pea. look how wonderful she was. i'm a stranger to her, pulled her right out of the cage, she's okay, find me a home. >> she's a 1 1/2-year-old

cavalier spaniel mix. >> she is a doll, so mellow and sweet. welcome to the cat cave. to honor our meows we have this adorable kitten appropriately named cupid. >> only three months old. >> very sweet and cuddly, isn't he? >> relaxed in your arms right away. >> we have richard here. without further ado, let's bring out some of these pups. we have smooch. what can you tell us about smooch, brought by willie. >> smooch is appropriately named. if you get close to her, she will give you a kiss. >> we call willie smooch for a different reason. >> this is a real chick magnet. >> i'm all good in that department. >> this is a chihuahua mix. >> she would be good for people that stay at home an doesn't have other dogs. if somebody works at home, home a lot. >> got apartment dog. >> good apartment dog. >> our next is heartthrob

valentino. >> what a difference. you can't even tell the difference between the two, how beautiful he looks. >> would he be good for kids? >> valentino would be great for kids. he loves kids the kids he's been around went right up to. if kids love the play with dogs, he would be a perfect dog for them. >> a poodle mix? >> yes, bijon poodle mix. >> now, he doesn't want to go. loves the camera. >> like, let me stay here. >> exit valentino, enter heart. what kind of breed is this? >> dave is one of our volunteers. we have a lot of great volunteers with us. dave is one of them. an expert in playing fetch. learns very very quickly. >> he decided this is a speaking part. >> exactly. another great apartment dog. >> and this breed, they're very intelligent. >> yeah. very are intelligent.

>> is he full glen? >> he's still a puppy but he will grow a little bit more but not much more than he is. >> okay. thank you so much. our next puppy is sweet pea. i'm sensing a valentine's theme here. a little puppy. i see spaniel in here. >> a spaniel mix. >> she wants to kiss you. >> she's such an angel. >> she's a year and half old. a little shy at fierce but in this foster family licking the cats. if you have cats, she's fine. >> i pulled her out of the came and most animals would billion afraid and kissed me on the lips. >> she's very tolerant letting matt pet her. very sweet. sweet pea, you earned your name. last but not least, we have a meow to wow.

we have a little kitty named cupid. jenna bush hager, she loves that. >> i've been dreaming ab this cat. >> look at that little face. what kind of kitty? >> a domestic short hair, black and white. loves to have his belly rubbed. just lays down. i don't know if he's purring now, but constant purring. >> let's bring everybody back out one more time for one good look. >> i love him. >> if you want more information about these animals, go to the website. thank you so much. on this valentine's day we decided we would get into the spirit and spread the love throughout studio 1a. take a look. >> what do i love about matt lauer? >> matt is somebody who makes smarter, makes us better. >> he is a loyal friend. >> this is harder than i

thought. >> matt's hot. >> no one rock pairs of skinny jeans like matt. >> my girl, savannah. >> savannah is brilliant, funny, self-d self-deprecating. >> what do i love about savannah? how much time do you have zbloncht. >> you don't see her coming. >> getting awfully perfect to her. >> naturally halie has a heart >> so drop gorgeous, natalie makes you nauseous. >> i hate her. >> i love natalie's energy. >> the epitome of grease. >> makes you feel better about anything. >> what do you love about willie? sn>> he gives great hugs, bear hugs. >> his wit and goodness. a great role model for lot of people. >> kathie lee. >> sends a little message of inspiration your way. >> so much compassion. >> turned public drinking into an art form. >> welcomed me here with a smile. >> for that, i love her. >> what do i love about al? is exuberant joy.

he walks in and goes, what' everyone doing, like yelling. >> he brightness my every day. >> what you see is what you get. >> i've only learned recently an outstanding kisser.

8:56 is your time now on this thursday, february 14th, 2013. good morning, i'm eun yang. ice causing a lot of troubles on the roads this morning. let's go right to danella sealock with the latest. >> caution if you're traveling along fort meade road. earlier the road was shut down because of ice and now it looks

like they've got those accidents out of the roadway. still urging you to use caution. head over to the beltway. serious delays. there was an accident along connecticut avenue and here's what you're facing now. still slow as you make your way, eun, just about 18 miles per hour. back ove

good morning. approaching 9:00 now. above freezing most of the region. temperatures upper 30s near 40. near 50 and a few clouds coming in during the afternoon. increasing clouds on friday up into the mid-50s and rain late friday afternoon into friday evening and changing over to snow late friday night into part of saturday. cold weekend to follow,

welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, february 14th. it is valentine's day, you may have heard. 2013. i'm willie geist along with al roker and natalie morales in studio 1a. we have a very special guest with us for the hour as larry king would say, jessica, her next cookbook, "the can't" cookbook. you're looking festive in red today. >> i'm not a valentine's person. i thought, i will wear a red dress. snow what does valentine's day look like in the sign felt

household? romantic? what does jerry do? >> yes. well, my daughter made us a -- our daughter made us a candle and wrote a beautiful handwritten note. i have done nothing yet. we will go to that sewage plant you mentioned yesterday. i signed us up for the tour, thought that would be a nice family way to spend it. >> you use your weight to get on that tour. here it is. the views, we're told, from the top of the sewage treatment plant, majestic. the fumes are noxious but the views are majestic. >> the perfect thing for us to be doing on valentine's. >> wouldn't it be romantic to i don't know donate to great cause that takes care of children? >> i think that would be amazing. >> that's right. >> how romantic is that? >> thank you. >> that was really nice. my nonprofit organization i fun toed over ten years ago natalie has been a great friend to for many years. so nice to be here. i feel like i know every single

person in a different way in new york city. >> you have like 6 million pieces of baby clothing and equipment and furniture. so smart because you grow out of this stuff and use for it a year. >> and you have big corporate donors as well now. >> we opened in los angeles. we're helping every city -- not every city, lots of cities across the country. >> that's good. >> thank you. >> let's get to take three and stick with this valentine's theme going with romantic flicks. this is the hard one, your favorite romantic movies. >> not me. i have a list of hundreds. >> my first thought was "diehard". >> "die another day." >> "heaven can wait." i love that movie, all about love transcending time and space. i just love that movie. >> how about you, natalie?

>> mine is "the notebook" which has even men in tears. matt said he cried, you cried. there's this scene in the rain where ryan gosling is talking about -- they're having a fight and he's like -- even when we're fighting, i want those fights to always be with you. that got me. >> i said that to willie just this morning. >> really beautiful. by the way, the author of "the notebook," nicklas sparks will be with us us on the show. >> i'm a sucker for love. i kind of think of it as a christmas movie but romantic movie when this part liam anee m neesom's son finally gets that kiss he's been looking for. romantic film, where are you

going? >> "brokeback mountain". >> different call. >> it is. such a brave movie to have done, has horses and love and heartbreak. i love that. >> and the iconic line, i wish i could quit you. >> i wish i could quit you. >> good call. take two this morning, daddy dearest today has confirmed steve martin and his wife, ann string field, have welcomed their first child. why is this noteworthy? steve is 67 years old. the baby was born in december and the couple kept it secret until now and their 2007 wedding was a secret so they're pretty good at these things. >> and the baby has a little arr arrow. >> i will ask you questions about being an older dad. how old is jerry with your last? >> jerry is a pioneer of the ltn club, ltn, better late than never.

>> he and i are the same age. >> first of all, this baby is going to be so smart. she is a brilliant writer and obviously he is steve martin genius. this baby is going to be fine. jerry always says, i just got in right before i was creepy. what baby wants some old head -- you know, they cry enough and start tearing over the carrots. >> he was not old, he was like 50 when your last was born, right? ish? >> i don't remember. really, my kids are like grandchildren at this point. >> no. >> i've had that where people -- when nicky was a baby, your grandson is so cute. >> you got that? >> grandson? really? >> you don't look like you have a grandson. >> it happened more than once. >> that's stupid. >> we heard also this week, alec balted win is having another child. there's another one.

better late than never club. >> bltn. >> john travolta and his wife welcomed their third child when he was 56. steve martin, after graduation from high school, this baby, 85 years old. >> but will play a mean banjo. >> yes, he will. they'll be picking. our tape three, i love this clip. it has a great ending. the category was military men. this is final jeopardy. the clue was this. on june 6th, 1944, he said the eyes of the world are upon you. here's what you need to know. watch leonard cooper, 17 years old from little rock, arkansas. the kid has swagger, he has stones. he's rafer bo ae's riverboat ga on jeopardy when he didn't have to. here is his answer. he knew if he won the whole game he was getting 75 grand either

way. >> now, we go to leonard cooper. he's looking pretty happy. why. did he come up with dwight david eisenhower? >> no, i didn't. >> you didn't. some guy from normandy but i just won $75,000. you did indeed. >> it was the best original answer, too. >> absolutely. whip smart. if you watched the clip, man, did he know his stuff. he wagered zero because he knew he could win either way. put down the 75 grand. we like this kid. "huffington post" headline was leonard cooper answer question like the bomb. >> he's the man. >> natalie, let's gate quick check of the headlines. >> in the news this afternoon, south africa olympic runner oscar pistorius is under arrest charged with murdering is girlfriend, known as the "blade runner" and an inspiration at the olympics and paralympics taken into custody after

30-year-old model, reeva steenkemp was found shot to death at the runner's home in pretoria. police said there had been previous incidents at their home. later on that day, reeva's publicist said she never saw any trouble between the two of them. >> it's devastating and shocking for everyone. >> had you ever met oscar? what were you impressions? >> the same as everyone else. charming, great guy. >> reeva steenkemp spoke out on twitter against rape and abuse of women. the pbubblpublicist called her angel on earth sorely missed. and the triumph ship being towed to port in mobile, alabama. it left the cruise ship without power and passengers complained about not enough food or working bathrooms. carnival says it will give passengers full refunds and $500 each. today, americans and u.s.

airways made it official. they are merging. the combined carrier, called american airlines, will be the world's largest. the $11 billion deal reduces the number of major u.s. airlines to four. the merger needs approval of a judge and federal regulators. a husband and wife are speaking out about coming face to face with murder suspect, christopher dorner in southern california. karen and jim reynolds walked into their vacation home tuesday and fun to dorner inside. he was armed and they knew who he was. >> he was always very very calm. and he really -- you really could tell that he was professionally trained. of course, we knew that, too. really, the way he had us do each thing, really, the best word i can think of is very methodical. >> he bound their arms and covered their heads with pillowcases. they thought they would die. he later took their car and left

and the couple was able to call 911. officials believe a body in a nearby burnt out cabin after a massive manhunt and shootout is dorner's. lady gaga had to cancel the dates on her current "born this way" ball tour. she performed four dates after having trouble walking following a concert in montre. tests have shown she has a trer need surgery. what can be nicer on valentine's day than this? this bucket of slaw is making the rounds on the internet. yeah. the ahs in here. costa rica put out these images. they may be slow movers but even sloths when they're that little can be cute. >> they have their arms up. >> they are cute. you're up to date right now. 10 minutes past the hour. >> i tried to get a bucket a ch

weather. >> let's see what we have for you. starting off down in florida. oh, man, rough weather going right on in to tomorrow. heavy rain we're talking about. some areas from west palm beach to central florida. picking up three to five inches of rain. a clipper going across and that is going to bring some snow across the great lakes and generally about one to four inches of snow but stretching from michigan on into wisconsin. we're talking about anywhere from six to nine inches of snow. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. 9:11 now. temperatures above freezing just about everywhere, but maybe still a few pockets of some iciness remaining in shaded areas. watch out for that. we had multiple accidents all morning long due to the iciness and later today, up around 50 degrees and a few clouds coming and going. tomorrow increasing clouds and near freezing in the morning but all the pavement should be dry. into the mid-50s in the afternoon. friday night changing to some snow and saturday morning and

that's your latest weather. >> all right, al. thanks very much. coming up next, relationship 411. you will help us out with that. try delicious light & fit greek it's no ordinary nonfat yogurt. it has twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt. and at 80 calories, it's the lightest greek yogurt with fruit. its creamy, thick texture helps satisfy you. so you won't feel like you're running low on satisfaction. light & fit greek. be light and fit. and satisfied. ♪ [ male announcer ] we touch a lot of things throughout the day. so it's nice that clorox disinfecting products help kill the germs that can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours. ♪ feels sweet when i can touch you ♪ my name is taho and i'm a fish guy. it's a labor of love. it's a lot of labor and it's a lot of love.

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"love" a collection by prabal gurung, exclusively at target. for a limited time. this morning on "today," celebrate valentine's day, relationship 411, we're talking about relationships and love, the star of millionaire matchmaker and psychiatrist,

gale, contributors with us. happy valentine's day. >> happy valentine's day. before we get on to this, huge numbers for million air matchmaker. comfortable with this? >> a little nervous. i will do my best. >> you like being on the other i'd? >> it's fun to go on the date. >> you were on our show. >> yeah. >> and she gets to court one of our clients and get to eat and drink. i don't get to do that very often. >> i didn't get to do that, though. >> patty, the first question is for you. let's say hello to donna from princeton, new jersey. hello. what's your question? >> good morning and thank you. it's been challenging to find lasting love since my divorce. life is good raising my 15-year-old son and enjoying a good career, i can't help but feel the last piece is missing. people say i look fantastic for my age and great heart and sense

of humor. live in a suburban area, i rely on internet dating sites to primarily meeting men. i have had lots of first dates and enjoyed two wonderful relationships. are men just not as interested in committed relationships, what am i missing? >> it's your timing thing. you are doing everything right. you can switch up your dating sites if one is not working. i like finding a site you have common interest in. if you like skiing and dancing. there are these niche sites there. narrow cast your target and the right guy will show up. >> next is an e-mail from angela in waco, texas. she writes i've been dating a man for five years, we're both in our 50s. he's never been married, indica indicates he wants to get married and no movement in that area, a real quote sugar daddy, very nice to me and we get along very well. if he's not bulging where marriage is concerned should i let him know may be looking elsewhere or should i just pursue other men without letting

him know. >> two wrongs don't make a right. i don't think she should play him dirty. let him know it's a been five years, the statistics show if you're not going to commit within the two years, dr. gail talk about that all the time and she takes no prisoners on that. it's time to move on. if you really want to be married, time is ticking away, baby, make like mercury and run. >> based on what you've heard this guy is not into marriage, not going to happen. >> this guy is buying her time, trading money for spend human bei being -- spending the time dating. not interested. >> what do you think? >> five years, no. >> walk away. gail, let's go to you. we have a couple joining us on skype. let's say hello to jennifer an jim from st. louis, missouri. good morning, what's your question? >> good morning. our question is we've been together for 12 years, since we were in high school. we're both busy working full time jobs with three kids. i feel like we don't get the

opportunity to cultivate our relationship. how do we grow a deeper relationship when we feel like we know all there is to know about each other. >> you don't. i won't lie, three kids under 5, you don't have a lot of time to cultivate. you do not know each other and everything there is to know about each other. you will never know that actually because you don't even know that about yourself. what you have to do is stimulate your brain. you do that by each going off and finding stuff that interests you. maybe one of you is interested in like how do you make beer or i don't know, what is dark energy or what do i think about gun control? it could really be any subject, read a little bit about it and come to the other and ask them, what do you think about this? do you believe in reincarnation. it could be philosophical things or concrete things. if you get to actually do it and hey, we are now going to make beer together now that we've learned something.

that's great if you get some time but if you can't, stimulating each other's minds will lead to overall stimulation of the relationship. >> who knew brewing beer the key to marital bliss. >> especially if they do it in their underwear. >> i'm talking about minds, jeff. morning television. >> it's getting more strange by the minute. to the phone lines. sharon from "new york times." what's your question. >> my question is we're both very sensitive. can we work together and be productive while still having a relationship. also, how do we separate the two relationships? >> patty, that one's to you. repeat the question real quick again. we couldn't quite hear you, sharon. >> my question is i work with my boyfriend and things are tricky because he's sensitive about certain things. can we both work together and still have a healthy relationship. >> working relationship. >> if one goes down, they both go down, they feel each other's

energy all the time. it's a nightmare. it is difficult and you have to have boundaries and separate yourself at work. you can't always be 24/7 and worry about what the other person feels. i recommend you have a separate part of the office, little cave. >> working at home, do you agree with that, jeff zblr? >> i agree, you have to have separation of time or will end up killing each other 24/7 in a dark place. >> the important thing is ming n your underwear. >> patty's show airs tuesday nights on our sister network, bravo, "millionaire." ♪ and i would do anything for love... ♪

♪ but i won't do that ♪ or that ♪ or this definitely not this! it hurts but i kind of like it! ♪

it hurts but i kind of like it! backflips and cartwheels.mile? love, warmth. here, try this. mmmm, ok! ching! i like the fact that there's lots of different tastes going on. mmmm! breakfast i'm very impressed. this is a great cereal! honey bunches of oats. i hear you crunching. vaga had no tolerance for such dastardly deeds. finally... [ male announcer ] when you combine creamy velveeta with zesty rotel tomatoes and green chilies, you get a bowl of queso that makes even this get-together better.

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coming up, enjoy my favorite jamaican deficiency. >> and coming up, nicklas sparks. >> after your local news. for my family. i'm amazed you make so many great flavors that are gluten free. my guys are crazy for chocolate chex and honey nut chex. for me, it's cinnamon. it means a lot to be able to give them something that's good for them, that also puts smiles on their faces. 'cause i really love those smiles. we're the harris family. and we love chex. [ male announcer ] love chex? connect with us on facebook. [ male announcer ] love chex? it's alwaysou in my fridge. activia's important for my overall well being.

because it helps regulate my digestive system. and when you feel good on the inside, it shows on the outside. shine from the inside out with activia. ♪ dannon good morning, 9:26 on this thursday, february 14th. i'm aaron gilchrist. a lot of trouble on the roads. danella is here with the details. >> a lot of the ice is melting, but still dealing with some problems. bw parkway crash there blocks the left lane. we'll head over to the beltway. still tied up right now. outer loop is just -- take a look at university boulevard. your delays continue all the way to about connecticut avenue and it will take you 30 minutes right now to get from i-95 to i-270. inner loop slow, as well. delays start as your make your way from the american legion bridge. slow past

fortunately, above freezing around the region and upper 30s now and need to climb into the low 40s and later today around 50 degrees and increasing clouds on friday up into the mid-50s and then friday night might get

light rain and then changing over to snow perhaps and off and on on saturday and passing snow showers and much colder and highs in the 30s. highs in the 30s again on sunday and still cold o

marco rubio had a little water problem. >> why is that such a big story? >> i guess when you get dry mouth, you get dry mouth but it was -- right here. >> he had tape of water. to me, that's not a big deal. if he had a capri sun package and pulled out a juice box. >> here's how he did it, kind of did the look, the double look and then it was like -- >> totally off-camera knowing what was happening. i was the lunge, you're right. >> it was the way he looked, like, where is that water? desperation. >> natalie and jimmy talking

about senator rubio and the move for the water bottle. >> he is great. i love him. i love the bounce iing. that is great, major production. >> they don't mess around. >> that is a huge set. congratulations for winning a grammy. >> that's right. >> i'm willie geist with natalie and al. coming up in a few minutes, best selling actor nicklas sparks. his book "safe haven" has been turned into a movie as so many have. >> i love it. >> i have a feeling there will be a good cry. >> i love it. >> i will be sharing recipes that mean a lot to me. two of my favorite jamaican dishes from my mom, isabel. >> i can't wait to give it a try. and last minute gift ideas. first a we have for you. we start off, we're going on our friday field trip. matt and savannah will be there

tomorrow. partly cloudy, breezy, milder. temperatures in the upper 40s. and as we look to head to the rest of the country on friday, it's going to be a chilly one in the northwest with plenty of sunshine and arctic express comes into the plains. on saturday more cold air making its way to the northeast with laker clipper bringing lake-effect snow showers and sunday, sunday we've got more snow in the plains and mountain snows in the pacific northwest and sunny and mild from the southwest into texas. cool, unseasonably cool but sunny down in central and southern florida. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> near 40 degrees now around the metro area and it's all about freezing all around the region now. all the ice we had earlier this morn morning is melting. later today, up near 50 degrees and then tomorrow, maybe a bit milder into the mid-50s by late afternoon. and then colder air moves our way late friday night and maybe a little rain friday evening changing to some snow after midnight friday night. perhaps a few flurries or a

passing snow shower on saturday. highs only the 30 >> that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. every romance novel has been a best-seller and nicho nicholas has one. i think the best this is crying material. always embarrassing when i'm at the beach or plane and full out sobbing. >> i actually sat next to a woman on a plane once and she was reading my book and crying and crying. i finally said, did you like it? she said it was great. i said, would you like me to sign it? she said, why would you sign my book? >> kind of a surreal moment. >> she thought she were just checking on you. >> no reason. >> are you at the point, nicholas, when you start to write a book do you start to

think about a movie? because it's inevitable it will. >> i have to conceive a story that will work well in both mediums. i guess the stories are trickier to come up with. then, once i have the idea, it's all about the novel. >> this one, you're changing it up a little bit, not only romance but this is a bit of a thriller. >> it is a thriller. we wanted to get people watching and sit in and say, i know exactly what to expect and then shift it along the way until the end of the movie, when they're literally on the edge of their seat. >> i'm amazed with your personal story, you were actually selling pharmaceutical drugs up until 1997. >> legally. >> legally, right. >> not black market. >> how did you know you had this gift for writing such powerful romance novels? >> gosh, i didn't when i started. i felt i should chase a dream when i was 28 years old, written a couple novels never published.

i had a mid-life crisis at 28. i know it was early. i wanted to write a story about my wife's grandparents and thought people might like it. that became "the notebook." >> the rest is history. >> then they made the wonderful film from it. >> my favorite scene. >> you mentioned these two novels were never published. will you ever see them? >> you will never ever ever see them. they are terrible. they were the first -- i kind of consider them my school for writing, right? more like colleges says. >> it shows you have to put yourself out there and take that risk for people who think they have that gift. you have to. for me, there was no risk. didn't quit my day job, something i did in the evening. we had young children at the time. my wife was going to bed early. it was either watch teflgs or cha -- television or chase a dream. i opted to chase a dream. >> when you watch these movies on-screen, do you ever, thaw didn't get it right or played with my stories a little bit?

>> i didn't. i like them all. and i loved "safe haven." i've had a good hollywood experience. all been successful. had good looking guys in them. >> you had a lot of hunks in them. i have to ask you as the ultimate romance writer, what do you do for your life on valentine's day? have to ruin it. she's watching but knows it's probably already arrived. she was having wine at a party and she said, oh, this is a really good glass of wine. i went and hunted down the name of the bottle from the restaurant and called and found it somewhere and had it shipped to the house. >> see. that's why we love him. >> shipped the box to him. >> you have to ship the vineyard to her. nicholas sparks, great to have you here. it's in theaters today, valentine's day. perfect place to go on valentine's day. coming up next, gift for your valentine. but first these messages. [ male announcer ] here's a fun fact: this single scoop of gain gives more freshness

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i need you. i feel so alone. but you're not alone. i knew you'd come. like i could stay away. you know i can't do this without you. you'll never have to. you're always there for me. shh! i'll get you a rental car. i could also use an umbrella. fall in love with progressive's claims service. and sure enough, we're family. but you're not even shredded. you're...crunchy?! that happens sometimes. [ female announcer ] a crunch of whole grain fiber that helps keep you full. new frosted mini-wheats crunch. it's a big breakfast... [ crunch! ] ...in new a little biscuit. happy valentine's day today. we're deciding what we will tell last minute gift ideas. the host of "pop style," along

with our host, jessica steinfield. a lot of people may be feeling a little panicky because they didn't get anything just yet. we're talking about what they're doing. you're not really sure. >> i have your back. >> you have our backs. we can make these things and find these things right now. >> i like this. every couple has a moment, right? the first date, the first kiss. what if you bottled that moment and turned it into a fragrance so a loved one could wear it everyday. three easy ingredients. get some type of atatomizer or sephora. jessica is going, how am i going to do that? >> is that vodka. >> vodka or coconut oil. >> a lot of vodka on your first date. >> mix it together and you have a bottled memory. >> there you go. >> this one is really unique you can get at any bookstore, bar

barnes & noble. it's called "other people's love letters" written in a century, messages in a bottle, war stories sent overseas and skip the card and write your own love letter at the end of it. not has the even better. >> lingerie seems to be the thing everybody goes for. >> kind of blase. >> done that. >> this might be the most exciting gift for women out there. one thing we love but never schedule for ourselves is a photo shoot. >> with that lingerie. >> yes. it can also be with your kids and together. >> lang way with your kids. >> jessica, did you have some of that vodka? >> that has the fourth hour. >> an amazing photographer, jenna williams hooked us up with a great photographer. check that out. >> a great idea. >> nice tattoo. >> thanks. >> he gave me a box of something he wanted no wear in the photo

shoot and empty game and said, babe, the days is yours. >> this is a gift that gives back. if you're ready to take that next step in your relationship, say you want to give them the key to your home, your car, your heart, take that key off your key ring an put it in the box and tell them the moment and say it doesn't stop there, i will give this key to i giving keys and they will put an inscription on it. i love this one. >> this gives back. >> make a message. curtis, an amazing artist who caused a cult phenomenon. everyday you will love it because she's applying her makeup with a great message. this is the most man musty out there i love. >> this is the man bouquet? >> the dude bouquet. this is a huge on pinterest, super easy, razor, slim gyms,

socks, card, throw it in a mug and ladies, he will love the personal touch. >> it is funny. good idea, something here for everyone. answer that so much. coming up next, al will make his mom's jamaican recipes, this day calls you. this day calls you. to fight chronic osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain reliever fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens,

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better than ever. and sure enough, we're family. but you're not even shredded. you're...crunchy?! that happens sometimes. [ female announcer ] a crunch of whole grain fiber that helps keep you full. new frosted mini-wheats crunch. it's a big breakfast... [ crunch! ] ...in new a little biscuit. spending the day with my niece. i don't use super poligrip for hold because my dentures fit well. before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. so it's not about keeping my dentures in, it's about keeping the food particles out.

[ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip. back to today's melting pot and how we invoke recipes for great family memories and you can create your own family memories. i am sharing two favorite dishes courtesy of my mom. peas and rice is a very traditional caribbean dish. it's a really not pace, they're actually beans. something my mom always made when we were having a big dinner. my mom made the best. sweet potato, kind of like a sweet potato pie like a crust. it has a little bit of everything in it. flower, crushed pineapple. it wasn't so much the sweet potato as it was the marshmallow topping. you have to brown it. when you did it under a broirl, marshmallows have a high flash

point and we would always distract my mother so mar marshmallows would catch fire, a highlight in holidays. my mom was always giving. would always show you how to do it. because there was no set recipe, you put this in. you basically had to do it from scratch and try to figure it out. i would serve it to her, she would go, that's close. n no! finally, when she said, that's good. all right, id did it, i got it, boom! here to help me make one of my mom's dishes, celebrity chef from jamaica. and nephew of bob marley. you come by this honestly. >> we're fellow jamaicans and we both have that heritage. i love the sweet potatoes. traditionally we make it in pots

and not a lot of stoves in jamaica and put it on a cole ald say [ speaking foreign language ] >> my mom never said that. >> you will peel this and drain these off and put them here. this is one of the simplest recipes you can make. >> absolutely. >> this is one of your recipes that mom made. we will put our brown sugar as well as our butter right here. then we're going to go ahead, start mashing that up. mash it up nice. >> you want some chunks left in it. you don't want it smooth. >> you want a little bit of chunks. once you get that mashed up, we will put other ingredients, salt, fall seasonings, we have our cinnamon. >> that's good.

you're doing a good job. you've done this once or twice? >> once or twice. >> we will put our flour inside. >> that gives a letittle heft. >> some people put raisins and wine inside, you can make this your own. once you have that, we put our drained pineapple. you want to fold that over. >> want to baking powder? >> we do want to put the baking powde powder. >> some people put cornmeal to give it a little bit more sticking. >> you put this in, bake it for a bit. >> we will put this in, bake it. >> we have to finish up here because i want to get to the peas an rice. >> got you. >> another traditional jamaican peas on rice thing. we put our garlic and thyme and onion is inside.

we add our rice. saute it a few seconds. we add our water to this. >> this is the drained liquids. >> drained liquid. >> from the peas or beans we call it. >> we add our peas and using coconut milk because this actually gives it a nice kobe nkobe -- coconut flavor and add green peppers and the scotch bonnet, one of the hottest peppers, you lay that right inside there. you can kind of cut it open a little bit and it will give a little bit more flavor. at the end, we have our finished dish. >> along with a red stripe. >> along with a red stripe. >> that's why i wore the tie, i have my red stripe. >> we have peas and rice and p sweet potatoes.

>> th (woman) 3 days of walking to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history?

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downstairs in our valentine's today, photo booth, jeff will do a lot of posing. we have a bunch of other celebrities through the week stopping by. julian hough. naomi campbell. tina turner. >> tony braxton, she had something interesting to say. >> we'll be back tomorrow. >>

9:57 is your time now on this thursday, february 14th, 2013. good morning, i'm eun yang. let's get a check of the forecast with tom kierian. >> after the iciness approaching 10:00, 42 at reagan national and around 40 around much of the region. later today upper 40s to near 50 degrees and a few clouds coming through. tomorrow increasing clouds into the mid-50s and then late on

friday night into saturday, might get some snow, maybe a passing snow shower saturday. much colder, highs 30s over the weekend. danella, how is late-morning traffic? >> commute is looking a lot better. ice is over with. now we're dealing with smooth sailing. if you're heading into the district, nice and clear. travel speeds on 395, you're under speed, not by much. over to the outer loop of the beltway, still a bit sluggish here. you can take a live look at university boulevard. your travel speed from i-95 to i-270. danella, thanks so much. >>

♪ >> from nbc news this is a special edition of "today" with california girls kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb from santa monica place in santa monica, california. >> hey, everybody. great to be with you on this thirsty thursday. it's february 14th, and, yes, valentine's day here in santa monica place. >> on this valentine's day i'm feeling the love. >> are you? >> i'm feeling the love. >> noogies.

>> are you? >> so sweet of everybody to come. >> valentine's day is such a wonderful holiday. >> it is. >> not. >> how many of you actually feel like we have too many expectations, too high of an expectation for valentine's day? >> here's the worst thing about valentine's day. if you are dating somebody and you are at work and you know how you see a dozen roses come in, and you are, like, are those for me, and the guy comes again and again, and you are waiting and wondering. >> you don't even get a cactus. >> is your boyfriend going to send you something? >> has that been you. >> it's not my favorite holiday of the year because -- >> get out your kleenex. this is sad. >> i wish we had a drink. there's nothing. there's nothing. >> i knew something was missing. >> he'll explain why. then the drinks hopefully will come. i met my first husband on valentine's day. wait. it gets worse. and we signed our divorce papers

on valentine's day. >> no, that was a happy day. >> do we have drinks? seriously. are there any? there are none? are there no drinks? >> extremely -- >> oh, thank god. >> better late than never. >> how are you? thank you. >> what are these drinks? >> what is your name? >> john. >> it's called a prawna. it came from true food kitchen. >> yes. >> you guys know about that? >> as opposed to false food? it's all natural foods you are using? >> organic, all natural, locally grown, seasonal. >> grapefruit, pine apple, simple, and vodka. you like it? >> cheers for the vodka. >> thank you. it's refreshing. it tastes almost a little too healthy, if you know what i mean. thank you. >> thank you for coming. >> enjoy your day. >> thank you. >> here they say that

valentine's day brings with it a lot of pressure, though, because it's like new year's. they say that most couples feel like they have to do the nasty on valentine's day because they feel pressure because -- >> it's not nasty to all people. some people view it as a gift from god. >> okay. >> and a blessing. >> anyhow -- >> a lot of blessings all day long. some people like to visit -- that's going to be a metaphor through the day. a long-running gag about going to -- >> close to approximate kursky. >> and a little dog. >> yep. that's -- >> because we can't say it on the air. you get this trouble. stuff like that. >> everybody say poughkeepsie. >> here's what you might want to try with your loved one, your husband, spouse. there's something called love is

art. >> waiting to hear you explain it. >> so what you do is you take like a canvas, a blank canvas -- >> this comes in -- >> for your enjoyment. >> show them how big the thing is. >> it's big enough for two. >> a nice large canvas. >> okay. >> and then you put paint on it, which comes here. it's got all kinds of paint. >> you sprinkle paint on it, and you put on a shower cap and then you and your -- >> significant whatever. >> it is. >> yes. >> you roll around. >> you go to poughkeepsie. >> you know what's weird is you take this as art, and people are hanging it up in their homes. i know. nasty. >> we didn't endorse it. >> anyway, it's $60. it's called the love is art kit.com in case anyone at all is interested. >> hoda, i don't know what you

do with this. but it's for you. >> you guys, can we see your signs? we're going to pick our favorite sign, but we're going to do it at the end of the thing. >> i know. >> we have to pick together. let's see. >> with open arms. >> i'm drinking for two. we love klg and photocopy. that's probably me. anyway -- >> welcome to l.a. >> bakersfield. >> nice work. >> i don't like the i peeed with kathie lee. i'm sorry. i think i would have remembered you if i did. oh, okay. you're right. >> she did. >> okay. the orange county. thank you. i love that. >> i see you, girl. >> i love -- >> vanilla fire, i think she's selling something. are we going to order it now? >> later. >> okay, everybody. >> we have another valentine's day gift. we're not responsible for what's

in this so we are just using the props. >> she shall remain nameless, joanne lamarka. >> if you have a sore on your shoulders or something and you want to rub it because you can't reach it, we have something that will work. it's a wrist band -- >> my wrist band is missing. >> yours is right here. oh that? it's like a pair of drawers for a k doll. i see what you're saying there, hoda woman. >> you put these on your fingers. >> all right i'm -- >> i need a manicure so bad. >> really, i was going to say, but -- >> i know. >> wolf as we say. >> then you turn it on. and then go like that and then you put the vibrating thing on your -- that is not -- >> i don't think that's what it's really for. it might just be me. i don't know because god forbid i ever be the person that actually -- >> i want it off me. >> i thought they were ear

plugs. i swear to god i did. anyway, they run six hours on batteries in had case you're wondering. just let you know. how does this turn on? >> this is why hoda and i don't like to rehearse anything beforehand. >> it works. >> they'll go over six hours in case anything happens. >> here's the question about who you should be with your significant other. >> yes. >> they say that your face tells the story and there's a way that you can figure out who your mirror image is by looking at your face, and there's something called face mate.com. >> it's almost like finding your dopple ganger. what's with the opposites attract thing? if you are really looking for somebody that has your same -- you're beautiful other than that. if you are looking for somebody that looks like you, then we talk about taking self-love to another -- >> here's you and frank. so this is what a psychologist says about you and frank. >> okay. >> what is it? let's see. kathie lee and frank are meant for each other because their

eyes are equally distant on both sides of their faces. and the overall image of the face is the same. >> i didn't want to marry him. >> the same outline of the face. same shape lips and same forehead. >> both of our lips have disappeared. we both -- when we met, we both had nice plump full lips. >> how long have you been married? >> going on 27 years. >> 27 years. >> happy valentine's, sweetheart. it just seems that we're always off somewhere working. here's the thing, frank gifford was born in santa monica. i don't know if you all know that. the hospital that he was born in was torn down like 50 years ark but every time we come out he looks for it anyway. anyway, he was actually under contract to warner brothers pictures when he was in his early 20s. he played football at usc, but he was like the brad pitt of his day, you know? drop dead gorgeous. >> so hot. >> here's the thing that upsets me about this eye thing. jack warner himself from warner brothers pictures said he will never be a movie star.

his eyes are too close together. >> you're kidding. >> that's why i'm not a movie star. that's the same -- that's good for you, hode. >> warren beatty. what? what? >> yeah. yeah, yeah. >> what are we talking about? >> yes. >> sort of. i get it. not bad. not bad. >> will smith. of course. why wouldn't it be? >> same shaped face. >> james franco? james franco? he is your pick for me? >> no, that's a terrible picture of james franco. >> if you don't want celebs, these are -- >> if you go they'll tell you who you should be with. >> this guy is josnyc. he probably joseph at nyc. >> did you find him on-line? >> he is 52 years old, and he is looking for a nice 48 to 64-year-old woman. >> that's me. >> that could be either one of

us. >> okay. i'm going to look up these guys later. >> i think you should. >> i think it's time for a little music, shall we? >> let's do it. >> this is my pick for today. it's a little wild because you guys look like you're wield. you guys know this song? it's called -- >> feel free to get up and dance. >> is this my song? where is it? it's called "wild thing." ♪ wild thing ♪ wild thing >> come on. >> this is for you in the back. ♪ you make my heart sing ♪ you make everything groovy >> come on, girls. k.l.g. knows my song. ♪ groovy ♪ wild thing, i think i love you ♪ ♪ i want to know for sure >> come on.

>> nothing gets better than this, everybody. >> all right. we're going to pick a sign, you guys. show us your signs. >> who is picking? >> i like the one -- >> okay. kathie lee picked this one. it's all klg on this one. she picked -- >> i love kathie lee, but i want to party with hoda. >> congratulations. you get a mug. >> wow. what's better than that? >> you guys, we have a lot coming up. >> jason kennedy took me all over l.a. >> be right back. >> yes. [ female announcer ] born from the naturally sweet monk fruit, something this delicious could only come from nature. now from the maker of splenda sweeteners, discover nectresse. the only 100% natural, no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. the rich, sweet taste of sugar. nothing artificial.

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lateam up with milkto work. to award $250,000 dollars in breakfast grants through fuel up to play 60. buy milk and you could score a grant for a local school. and a trip to the super bowl. enter the breakfast blitz at milkmustache.com >> welcome back with more of "today" from rowdy, crazy santa monica. we didn't realize just how much

the -- >> i've been coming back to l.a. for years and years. used to live here when i first started my career, and i actually love it. jason kennedy from e news took me around to see his l.a., and we discovered that everything old is new again. >> what's old? >> me. >> somewhere here at the top of nowhere is jason kennedy. >> how are you? >> oh, we've got to stop meeting like this. ♪ >> this is where i take all my dates. this is the griffith observatory. look at this place. >> you know what, you are smooth. >> you can touch the hollywood sign. >> oh, it's fabulous. >> there's sweeping views of beverly hills over there. you can even see the water. hollywood over there. >> can you see the country city. ocean. >> you've seen rebel without a cause? >> oh, yeah. >> there's a scene where he threw the knife over that hill, and they never found the knife.

♪ >> where would i be a little bitty thing? >> i think over on pluto. >> ladies and gentlemen, two pounds. >> two pounds. i'm just a little bitty thing. i love that. >> kathie, what are we doing? >> i have no idea. it's called schtick. >> what can you tell us about the telescope here? >> more people have looked through this telescope than any other telescope in the world. ♪ >> so many people come to hollywood to find the stars, but this is actually a place where you can see the stars.

>> did you practice that? ♪ >> welcome to los vila ss. >> this has only been open a couple of months, but it used to be willard's chicken inn. i'm taking you back. then it was the brown derby. >> that's what i remember. >> you've been to the brown derby? >> yes. but it used to have a derby type top on it. now it's the mess hall? look. they know we're coming. >> brownie points. who lives up here? >> kristen stewart, robert pattinson, january jones lives here. a little inside intel. kevin bacon and his wife kiera sedgwick love this place. >> do people know that they could be sitting where elizabeth taylor once sat or lucille ball? >> this was one of her

hang-outs? >> i think old hollywood still remembers and new hollywood, we're trying to educate them little by little. >> oh, my god. >> wow. >> what are you waiting for? yes, i'm going to have a bite of the mess burger, and i might make a mess. here we go. ♪ >> eating on television. don't you love it? >> nothing more disgusting. i lost a little pickle. ♪ >> i can't believe you don't have a guitar? >> me either. everly brothers, james dunn. >> james dunn. >> i talked to a couple of people. >> angela basset. >> i talked to a couple of people who are in charge of the stars, and ladies and gentlemen, your first hollywood walk of fame star, kathie lee gifford. can we give her a round of applause? a bowling alley bar.

you can play board games. this place is incredible. come on in. ♪ >> this is interesting. >> wow. >> oh, you can -- >> it's kind of an oaky smoky drink. give it a drink. >> oaky smoky. >> oaky smoky. >> it's oaky smoky. >> the idea behind this was to pay omage to the classic hotel bar. >> how is your bowling game? >> i give it a ten. ♪ >> oh! to? >> hollywood. >> to hollywood. ♪ to hollywood ♪ hollywood ♪ yeah

>> and these are my bowling socks. >> oh. >> you want to go bowling with my socks? there you go. >> can we just point out, i'm sorry, but i know this baby is precious. >> to prove that you're never too old to say i love you. >> . ♪ [ male announcer ] there's a story behind the silver of philadelphia cream cheese. it always begins with fresh, local milk, blended with real wholesome cream. going fresh from the farm, to our fridge, in just six days. because we believe in fresh taste. that's the way we set the standard for intensely rich, luscious flavor. so our story of fresh taste always ends... deliciously. when it comes to taste, philadelphia sets the standard.

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these are sandra's "homemade" yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? i just wanted you to eat more fiber. chewy, oatie, gooeyness... and fraudulence. i'm in deep, babe. you certainly are. [ male announcer ] fiber one. [ man ] excuse me miss. [ gasps ] this fiber one 90 calorie brownie has all the deliciousness you desire. the brownie of your dreams is now deliciously real. ♪ >> we are back where sara digs up the latest video that's going to make everybody smile. >> this week features the waverly oldies. this is a group of residents from waverly mansion retirement home in ontario, am i right? >> that's right. this talented group of seniors tries to make a new video every month, and this month it's bruno mars "just the way you are."

♪ you know i'll say when i see your face there's not a thing that i would change, cause you're amazing just the way you are ♪ ♪ and when you smile the whole world stops and stares for a while because, girl, you're amazing just the way you are ♪ ♪ >> so cute. ♪ the way you are >> this is their fourth video. they originally did it for friends and family, and then it got so much buzz -- >> i love them. >> how cute? >> adorable. >> that's a group with a good sense of humor. >> perfect for valentine's day. >> happy valentine's to all of them. >> coming up, when we -- we're

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>> welcome back we're in beautiful santa monica, california. we're going from thirsty thursday. >> that's what we do every single day. >> now, l.a. is full of beautiful, beautiful people, but every now and then they make a fashion faux pas. >> well -- >> suzy points it out. she found some folks on the streets of santa monica. let's take a look. >> i am here at the third street promenade where everyone from west l.a. comes to shop. it's in santa monica. you have to check this place out. let's take a look. ♪ california love >> are you going to work out right now?

>> i am going to work out, yes. >> you are? >> i would probably just lose the red shirt and this because this feels more like worky instead of work-outy. >> shorts and tights, totally cute on a 22-year-old. opaque tights and shorts on a 65-year-old? not so cute. can you hold this for a second? >> certainly. >> let's just try it. >> when color clash with one color, maximum three different shades. >> underneath all of this, what size would you be? >> like a 4. >> what? >> we're looking for women to give a full makeover to and they get to keep all the clothes? are you interested in doing something like that? >> um, sure. >> we're going to make you look a little smaller than this. i have to imagine that this isn't such a flattering look, right? >> yeah. >> are you ready to shop? >> yes. i'm ready. >> let's go in. >> she's the editor in chief of

tall, skinny, rich. hi, girl. >> we saw before with the sweat shirt did -- >> she looked like she just rolled out of the dorm. she was going for a day shopping, and a lot of people dress like this, and the one day you do is the day you bump into someone. >> always. >> this is going to be her national televised outfit. >> what do you think she thought when you said to her -- >> she was so excited. how soon can we go? >> bloomingdale's is right around the corner. >> show us what was wrong first. you didn't like the sweat shirt. >> the sweat shirt was oversized. it made her look bigger than she was. the baggie pants were so baggie we actually saw her underwear popping out of them. and then i don't know, it's only 65 degrees in los angeles. i don't think she really needed the winter boots. >> we should point out that there is a whole group of girls. her delta gamma sorority sisters, and you'll see the difference between your buddy before and after, so let's bring

katilyn out and see what we have done to her. >> come on out. >> here she comes. >> yeah! >> well, i have to tell you, when we walked into the section at bloomingdale's, katilyn fell in love with this floral dress. we had to make it look casual. what's great is you can progress it up in a ball xshgs it will not wrinkle. >> oh, really. >> it feels leak silk. it's not that stiff felt pattern. then the dress is sleeveless and so cute, and then, of course, we had to do the sam edelman flats. those are tempurpedic mattresses in them. >> do you like her like that.

>> she looks to so great. >> what you do think about your transformation? >> it's so great. i love this dress. >> it says spring and college and adorable and young. >> love it. >> you can wear it. >> this dress does not have an age cap. in fact, it can even be more dressed up if you put it with heels. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> we've got animals coming up. i was living with pain -- all over. the intense ache made it hard to do the things that i wanted. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now, i can do more of the things i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions.

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find out how at goarmy.com/parents. >> thank you, everybody. >> oh, my gosh. >> i love santa monica place. great shopping. >> i love this valentine's day we had team to shop. it's so crazcrazy. >> did you get anything for -- oh, is that you? >> i had -- >> what did you get for frank for valentine's day? >> i knew i forgot something. frank. oh zoosh oh, my god. >> i'm going to get him a camel. that's the only thing he doesn't have is a camel. >> happy valentine's day. >> what is going on? >> well, recollect schwartz from the san diego zoo, hoda woman -- >> what? >> has got some furry creatures for us to visit. >> i can't believe what is going on. sdmri see you found my camel. >> welcome to the west side of the united states. thank you guys for coming to

join us over here. you know, i'm going to put these bags down. >> i travel the world talking about conservation and endangered species, but today valentine's day we thought we would go light-hearted and -- >> talk about the mating habits of animals. >> yes. >> that doesn't smell great. >> if you were a camel, though, he's got stuff. they get, of course, much larger. males, when they want to attract a female, they stink a lot and spread their urine a lot by -- they froth around the mouth and do these horrible long -- much louder. >> sounds like kathie lee. >> nice. >> then the males have a pouch inside their mouth that will inflate with air and stick out the side of their mouth. >> what's sexier than that? >> i know. i know. the ladies love it. >> all righty. these are from all parts of the world? >> all over the world.

we're really focused on the fun-loving -- >> and then another classic question we always get when we work with a certain north american -- >> what? >> we have up here some porcupines? >> they have 30,000 quills all over they are body. >> who knew? >> they knew. >> the question is how do they mate? >> because you would think it might be a little uncomfortable. >> painful. >> the standard answer is very carefully. but to get to that point of actually mating, first the males have to fight. there's a lot of scream and fighting and exchanging of quills. >> then one male wins. he goes to the lady. >> the other guy is bloodied? >> the lady says, hey, let's fight. if you can -- if you win, we'll -- that means you're strong enough to be the father of my child. then they go after it. >> knock it out, right? got him? >> then they're going to exchange quills and scratching

and climb and chase and she lays her kills flat and raises her rump and gives clear access that way. we don't have to go any further than that. >> we're all done. >> then -- >> you got to have clear access. that's true. >> when it's finally over, the female will start climbing a tree, and the male falls off. >> do they go to poughkeepsie too? >> do animals reach cli maximum? >> are we going there this time of the day? >> no, indeed. >> it's a technical term. >> technically for the egg tore fertilized, the answer would be yes. >> okay. we can go there. >> you learned something today. why are you embarrassed by it? >> i'm embarrassed. >> do you have anything else for us? >> yes. we've been talking about the gross side of things, the fighting, the intricacies, but the love birds we brought today are true lovers. >> everybody loves penguins.

>> loves penguins. >> they're so sweet. >> this is charlie and flynn. they're penguins. they will usually mate for life, and now -- >> i love that. >> get this, they also have a homestead nest. they'll nest in the seam spot year after year, and sometimes the exact same nest. >> i love that. >> they work together to protect the egg. one leaves to go feed for two days while the other one sits to keep it work. they take shifts and high five -- well, high one. >> very evolved. >> when the baby hatches, one stays with the baby to protect it from the predator, and the other one goes and feeds and vice versa. >> which one is the female? >> this one is the male, and -- >> i got it. >> they don't have arranged marriages, right? how do they find each other? >> to us they look the same, but they can tell each other apart visually, and they have their own heart song. they have their own unique call for the couple that they recognize each other in the distance. truly -- >> strutting his stuff.

>> yeah. >> all right. thank you. >> we have a lot more coming up. we'll be right back after this. >> if we knew what it was, we would tell you. [ male announcer ] this one goes out to all the allergy muddlers. you know who you are. you can part a crowd, without saying a word... if you have yet to master the quiet sneeze... you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts... well muddlers, muddle no more. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour one on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour three. zyrtec®. love the air. claritin® doesn't start working until hour three. it's the latest haircolor trend. ombré. now l'oréal lets you create this dark to light finish yourself. with wild ombré from feria. exclusive lightening formula plus an expert brush lightens hair lengths in a stroke. so easy. feria wild ombré. from l'oréal paris.

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♪ snoo all righty. whether you are looking for love or you just want to get out of dodge, boy do we have a deal for you. >> george is from johnny jet set. he has affordable last-minute getaways. there's some time, right some. >> you can leave tomorrow on a three-day cruise to the bahamas on the regent sky. >> from? >> from miami. $279 per person. >> wow. >> for the weekend? >> for the weekend. >> that's a three-day cruise. >> that's a three-day cruise. if you want a seven-day cruise, you can go out of new york to the bahamas and florida for $579 per person, and what's great

about this is, you know, with cruising, which i used to watch with you the commercials. >> carnival. >> that's what got me into cruising. ♪ ain't we got fun >> all the meals and entertainment is included. you can stay away from the casino and the booze, you're -- >> it's a heck of a value. >> it's a great value. >> the slopes, colorado. >> keystone resort in ski tone, colorado, two hours outside of denver. they have 135 trails, 20 chair lift wrshz if you spend two nights in one of the resorts or properties, you have 900 condos, it's $221 a night. kids 12 and under ski free. there's no black-out dates. no minimums. if are you in the dugger family, that's where you want to go. >> you better stay home. >> what if you want to sleep where a president has slept? >> a little kinky. >> what are the spots? >> richmond is one. >> rich mopped, virginia. jefferson hotel, a grand hotel, 12 u.s. presidents have slept there, including both roosevelts, both bushes, and

obama. it's $195 a night. >> disturbing a little bit. >> $195 a night if you use the promo code lincoln. the reason why it's called lincoln stayed here is because all the cast and crew from the steven spielburg movie -- that's where they filmed it. >> amazing movie. >> san diego is also another spot. >> san diego out here on the west coast, downtown. the u.s. grant, 14 u.s. presidents have slept there, and they have a sweetheart night in deal for $210 a night, and everybody gets an in room movie credit and an in room build your own dessert bar. >> fun. >> again, san diego, you have the zoo. you have -- there's so much to do. >> yes. >> always great weather. >> what if you want to go back to the east coast? >> why would you want to? >> good point. >> if somebody actually wanted to, why would they? >> a lot of people don't realize that upstate new york has over 100 whineries. >> great wine. really great wine.

>> there you go. >> it's within a five hour drive of approximately 25% of the u.s. population. >> right. >> they have deals right now. the winter wine package deal. all their b&b's and hotels. first night regular price, second night half price and the third night is free. it's $80 a night. >> that's amazing. >> thank you. >> what did you bring for hoda? >> we brought chateau frank xwribl. >> from that area, right? >> cheers. >> happy valentine's day. >> coming up, we're going to have a little fun valentine's day cooking. >> some food for you. first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> today's kitchen is brought to you by ritz, open for fun. ♪

>> time to take you into today's kitchen, and you cannot celebrate valentine's day without chocolate. >> no, no, no. if you are planning a romantic candle lit dinner at home, tonight we have an easy and elegant dessert. >> really? >> recipes that almost anyone can pull off, except perhaps you. >> the executive chef at the swanky fig restaurant right here in beautiful santa monica. >> beautiful hotel. >> we've been staying, and, ray, we've loved it. we were having a little glass of wine out by the fire last night. it was great fun. >> well, great. welcome to santa monica. >> thank you. >> we're going to start with a cocktail. >> of course, we are. >> we call it the 94, and it's a mixture of -- >> talk to us. >> you always remember the morning after, but we want you to enjoy the night before. very good. >> she likes it. >> yeah. >> prosecco. >> not much. >> we're going to make the base

for the panacatta. it's easy to do. a little milk and cream. it doesn't require any baking. >> hoda could do it. >> yep. >> sugar and salt. take some vanilla bean. this comes just like that. >> drop the whole thing in. >> drop it right in there. okay. we already have it warmed up right here. >> okay. >> warm up. >> i see. >> the chocolate. >> i would like to help. >> perfect. see? >> you can make it at home. >> she is -- >> and then maybe the gelatin there. >> that's weird looking. >> this is what it looks like when it's in bloom. we have -- you can get that at the supermarket. >> it's a gelatin sheet. >> sheets of gelatin. >> push it out for powdered gelatin. >> we're going to put that on top. >> so far it looks weird. >> i'm sure it's going to turn -- >> it is going to get a lot better fast. >> okay. >> if you have some of the hot liquid. >> oh. >> right on top. uh-huh. >> okay.

>> i'm in. >> you can't be in. there's milk in it. she would like to be in. >> okay. once this is dissolved, that's -- this is a nice hot chocolate. >> i have these little jars in the restaurant. can you get them at a hardware store. >> they have an apothecary thing. >> can you let them set up. >> pour that stuff in there, and then what? >> you let it sit? >> it will take about two to three hours. >> refrigerator to -- >> refrigerate. the gelatin will set back up. you'll have a nice pudding that looks like that. >> i'm sorry, hoda. >> sara tastes it. got to put a little -- >> a little garnish here. i have rasberries that are soaked many some of the prosecco and grand -- >> right over the top. >> all righty. >> there you go. >> hand that over to sara. >> okay. >> all right. tell us what is at the end, what we have left. >> we have some chocolates that our chef jake made for us.

>> i can have that. >> can you have that. >> we have guava puffs that we're doing in the restaurants. we have red velvet ice cream sandwiches, and a peanut butter crunch. >> okay. that i'm going to try. >> thank you so much. we've had an awesome, awesome time. >> we have a big show coming up tomorrow. we are going to go to the beaches of california. all gorgeous. you know those old folks from off their rockers -- >> they're going to be there too? >> they are a party group. >> enjoy your valentine's day. have a wonderful time. we'll see you tomorrow for try day friday. santa monica, california, and we are never coming home. bye.